Councils given three months to propose the future of local government

On Tuesday 5 May 2026 Central Government told local councils across New Zealand to lead their own local government reform, in collaboration with other councils as part of the Government’s Head Start pathway, or wait for the Government to “do it to you.”

Taranaki’s mayoral forum, which includes the three district council mayors and the regional council chair, met on the following Thursday to discuss the reform programme and plan a way forward.

District Mayor Neil Volzke says, “While local government was expecting an update on the Simplifying Local Government reform programme, the detail of this wasn’t known until Tuesday last week. In response, we broadly welcome the changes to the original proposal, which provide space for locally-led solutions and keep regional councillors in place until the October 2028 elections. This allows the district mayors to focus on the long-term future of local government in our region, and now that we know Central Government’s agenda, we need to crack on and identify what’s best for our communities.”

“At last week’s mayoral forum we agreed to take a draft agreement, which will propose how the Taranaki councils will work together in this process, to our respective councils for discussion. It’s important to note that no decisions have been made on the process yet, or on what a future local government model will look like for our district.”

“The Government has given us a short timeframe to work up a proposal, and within that time we’re very interested in seeking views from our community on what’s most important to consider in the process. This will help ensure that our proposal is informed by the aspirations of our communities.”

“We’ll continue to keep you updated as we work through this reform programme, and encourage you to participate in opportunities to share your view.”

The best way to stay informed on this is through our Your Say Stratford website or the Antenno App. If you haven’t already registered, please do so at YourSay.Stratford.govt.nz/Register