Waitaki urges Government to keep councils at the reform design table

Published on 24 September 2026

Waitaki’s communities deserve strong, locally led decisions about their future, and Waitaki District Council remains committed to working alongside neighbouring councils to achieve the best possible outcomes through the reform process.

While it is disappointed by the Government’s decision to defer decisions on Head Start Local Government reform proposals until after the election, its focus remains on continuing to work with its communities and neighbouring councils on a proposal that delivers the best outcomes for Waitaki.

Mayor Mel Tavendale said councils and communities were asked to invest significant time, money and effort developing practical reform options within a very tight timeframe and Waitaki remains strongly committed to reform and wants to stay at the design table with Government, neighbouring councils and communities, so momentum for change is not lost.

“Waitaki put forward a credible, practical and well-considered proposal in good faith that reflects communities of interest and responds directly to the need for greater scale, capability and affordability.

“The need for reform has not gone away, and we are disappointed because we did the work asked of us” Mayor Tavendale said. “Waitaki wants to keep working constructively with Government to shape reforms that are practical, affordable and enduring for our communities and ratepayers.”

She said one of the clearest examples of why reform is needed is the extra cost and complexity Waitaki faces because the district straddles two regional council boundaries — Canterbury and Otago.

That means Waitaki must work across two regional planning systems, two regulatory approaches and two policy frameworks, creating duplication and adding cost, time and pressure for Council, communities and ratepayers.

The impact is especially clear in spatial planning, where Waitaki is required to engage across both the Canterbury and the Otago regional council areas despite being one district with connected communities, infrastructure, catchments and economic interests.

“That duplication comes at a real cost,” Mayor Tavendale said. “This requires some prompt action. Our ratepayers should not have to carry the ongoing burden of a system that asks one district to navigate two regional structures, two sets of planning requirements and the extra spatial planning costs that come with that, with relatively short timeframes involved.

“It causes complexity for our businesses too with different rules and approaches in different parts of the district and this can cause confusion and additional cost. Reform is the opportunity to fix this, and Waitaki wants to remain at the table to help design a better way forward.”

“Without clarity about the future shape of local government, including our proposal for a unitary authority from Ashburton to Waitaki, the current system will continue to create additional costs for Council and ratepayers.”

Mayor Tavendale said Waitaki wants change and many from our community have supported calls for change through the Head Start process. The delay reduces the time available before the 2028 local government elections to simplify local government, deliver more affordable and effective services, and resolve the structural issues affecting communities like Waitaki.

The Government said that while the overall quality of proposals was high, the assessment process identified several common issues requiring further consideration. It said no proposal had unanimous regional support, and some needed further analysis before they could progress.

Those issues included fair and effective representation with streamlined governance, and the transfer and delivery of regional functions. Mayor Tavendale said these are exactly the design issues councils expected to work through after Head Start proposals were accepted.

She said, “while the Government has stated it remains committed to simplifying local government’, this delay has made an already short runway even shorter.”

“Waitaki wants any amalgamation to be successful, we want a seat at the design table, and we are urging the Government to keep working with us.”

“The Government also needs to consider how it will support local communities through the change process, so the weight of reform does not fall entirely on ratepayers.”

Mayor Tavendale said Waitaki wants that work to continue - before and after the election - with constructive support from central government.

“Ministers have been critical of Waitaki’s rates rises, but those increases are being driven in part by a system that clearly needs reform,” Mayor Tavendale said. “We are actively looking for solutions. Through Head Start, Government gave councils an opportunity to design something that would work better for communities and ratepayers, and our proposal was made in that spirit - collaboratively, with our neighbours, and in the best interests of our community.”

The looming costs and complexities facing Council remain unsustainable and need to be addressed. The decision prolongs uncertainty rather than allowing councils, communities and Government to work together on a clear solution.

Proposal designed around communities of interest

The Waitaki-to-Ashburton proposal recognises the strong communities of interest across the central South Island, including shared river catchments, rural economies, infrastructure corridors, primary production, tourism, transport links and regional service needs.

Mayor Tavendale said the proposal would create a stronger regional voice while protecting local identity and ensuring smaller rural communities remain heard.

“Our communities are connected in practical ways every day. People move across district boundaries for work, education, health services, sport, business and family. Our industries rely on shared infrastructure, shared catchments and shared regional planning. A Waitaki-to-Ashburton arrangement reflects how this part of the country already works.”

Benefits of a Waitaki-to-Ashburton unitary authority

• Simpler and more efficient local government, with one council providing both district and regional council functions.
• Greater scale and capability to plan, fund and deliver infrastructure across a larger, more resilient regional base.
• A stronger voice with central government as a single regional partner for investment, transport, housing, water, environmental management and economic development.
• Protection of local identity through a structure that recognises distinct towns, rural communities and local priorities.
• Better alignment across shared catchments and transport corridors, including the Waitaki River system, state highway links, rural roads, ports, energy infrastructure and freight routes.
• Support for key national industries, including agriculture, food processing, energy generation, tourism and regional manufacturing.
• More efficient planning and service delivery by reducing duplication and enabling a coordinated approach to long-term growth and resilience.

ENDS

media@waitaki.govt.nz