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Published on 31 August 2026
Waihemo residents and ratepayers are being asked to have their say on which future they believe their community belongs with, as the Government considers proposals for reshaping local government.
Council is seeking feedback from 31 August to 13 September, with two community drop-in sessions in Hampden and Palmerston giving residents an opportunity to find out more about the proposals before completing the survey.
The Government's Simplifying Local Government programme proposed significant changes to local government structures across New Zealand, including the potential establishment of new unitary authorities and changes to council boundaries.
Councils could choose to submit a proposal with other Councils to the Headstart Pathway by 9 August, or wait and have a decision made for them by Central Government.
Waitaki has submitted a proposal to this pathway, along with Mackenzie District Council, Timaru District Council and Waimate District Council. Our joint proposal includes all of the Waitaki district, as well as Ashburton district.
Dunedin City Council and Queenstown Lakes District Council have submitted a proposal that can include all or part of Waitaki. As well, Clutha District Council, along with Central Otago District Council have submitted a proposal that includes themselves as well as Queenstown Lakes District Council and potentially the Waihemo ward.
We are now asking our Waihemo residents and ratepayers to give us their thoughts on what proposal they feel their community belongs with.
From 31 August to 13 September, we are seeking feedback to inform further discussions and refinements once Central Government has considered the proposals submitted.
Two drop-in sessions will be held so that Waihemo community members can have a chat to Council staff and Elected Members to understand the proposals better and answer any questions they have before filling in the feedback survey.
The sessions will be:
Community drop-in session – Hampden: 3 September 2026, 5 - 7pm - Hampden Community Centre
Community drop-in session – Palmerston: 7 September 2026, 5 - 7pm - Waihemo Service Centre
The feedback survey, along with supporting information will be available on our Lets Talk about Waihemo's future page, and hard copies of the survey and information will be available at Palmerston Service Centre, Hampden library, Oamaru library and Council's HQ.
The survey will be available to be filled in from 31 August to 13 September.
ENDS
media@waitaki.govt.nz