Regions of New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The region is the top tier of local government

Local government

Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...

in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. There are 16 regions of New Zealand. Eleven are governed by an elected regional council, while five are governed by territorial authorities

Territorial authorities of New Zealand

Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council...

(the second tier of local government) which also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities

Unitary authority

A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...

. The Chatham Islands Council is similar to a unitary authority, but is authorised under its own enabling legislation.

History and statutory basis

A regional council means one of the regional councils listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 2002.
That schedule lists the regional councils of New Zealand and their Gazette notices following their establishment in 1989. The Local Government Act 2002 requires regional councils to promote sustainable development

Sustainable development

Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...

the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities.

Unitary authorities act as regional councils for the purposes of a wide range of Acts and Regulations.

The current regions and most of their councils came about in 1989, as a result of an amalgamation procedure carried out under the Local Government Act 1974. The regional councils replaced the more than 700 ad-hoc bodies which had been formed in the preceding century – roads boards, catchment boards, drainage boards, pest control boards, harbour boards, domain and reserve boards. In addition they took over some roles which had previously been performed by county councils. The unitary authority of the Auckland Council

Auckland Council

The Auckland Council is the council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the existing regional council and the region's seven previous city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city" governed by a mayor, 20...

was formed in 2010, replacing the Auckland Regional Council

Auckland Regional Council

The Auckland Regional Council was the regional council of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989...

.

The geographic extent of the regions was based largely on drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

s, the regional boundaries being major drainage divides such as the Southern Alps

Southern Alps

The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...

. This anticipated the responsibilities of the Resource Management Act 1991. Some regional boundaries conform with territorial authority

Territorial authorities of New Zealand

boundaries but there are many exceptions. An example is Taupo District

Taupo District

The Taupo District covers 6,350 km² of land, as well as a further 610 km² of lake area, both in Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake, and also in the smaller Lake Rotoaira. The district stretches from the small town of Mangakino in the northwest to the Tongariro National Park in the...

, which is split between four regions, although most of its area falls within the Waikato Region.

Responsibilities

Regional authorities are primarily responsible for environmental management, including water, contaminant discharge and coastal management, river and lake management including flood and drainage control, regional land management; regional transport (including public transport) and harbours, biosecurity or pest management; while territorial authorities are responsible for: local-level land use management (urban and rural planning); network utility services such as water, sewerage, stormwater and solid waste management; local roads; libraries; parks and reserves; and community development. Property rates (land taxes) are used to fund both regional and territorial government activities. There is often a high degree of co-operation between regional and territorial councils as they have complementary roles.

Resource management functions

Regional Councils have these specific functions under the Resource Management Act 1991.

Planning for the integrated management of natural and physical resources
Planning for regionally significant land uses
Soil conservation, water quality and quantity, water ecosystems, natural hazards, hazardous substances
Controlling the coastal marine area
Controlling via resource consent
Resource consent
A resource consent is the authorisation given to certain activities or uses of natural and physical resources required under the New Zealand Resource Management Act . Some activities may either be specifically authorised by the RMA or be permitted activities authorised by rules in plans...

s the taking, use, damming or diverting of water
Controlling via resource consents the discharge of contaminants
Establishing of rules in a regional plan to allocate water
Controlling via resource consents the beds of waterbodies

Other functions

Regional councils also have responsibility for a number of other functions under other statutes;

flood and river control under the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941,
reserves vested in regional councils under the Reserves Act 1977,
civil defence under the Civil Defence Act 1990,
regional pest management under the Biosecurity Act 1993,
harbour and water navigation under the Maritime Transport Act 1994,
hazardous waste under the HSNO Act 1996, and,
public transport planning under the Land Transport Act 1998.

Regional councils were also given responsibilities for the supervision of the safety of dams in the Building Act 2004.

List of regions

	Region	Regional council	Council seat	Island	Area (km²)	ISO 3166-2 Code ISO 3166-2:NZ ISO 3166-2:NZ is the entry for New Zealand in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for New Zealand, ISO 3166-2 codes...
1	Northland	Northland Regional Council	Whangarei Whangarei Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...	North North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...	13,941	`NZ-NTL`
2	Auckland Auckland Region The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1... ⁽¹⁾	Auckland Council Auckland Council The Auckland Council is the council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the existing regional council and the region's seven previous city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city" governed by a mayor, 20...	Auckland Auckland The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...	North	5,600	`NZ-AUK`
3	Waikato	Environment Waikato	Hamilton Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...	North	25,598	`NZ-WKO`
4	Bay of Plenty	Bay of Plenty Regional Council	Whakatane Whakatane Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...	North	12,447	`NZ-BOP`
5	Gisborne Gisborne Region The Gisborne Region is an area of northeastern New Zealand governed by the Gisborne District Council, a unitary authority. Its largest settlement, the city also named Gisborne, is located at the northern end of Poverty Bay on the east coast.... ⁽¹⁾	Gisborne District Council	Gisborne Gisborne, New Zealand -Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...	North	8,351	`NZ-GIS`
6	Hawke's Bay	Hawke's Bay Regional Council	Napier Napier, New Zealand Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...	North	14,164	`NZ-HKB`
7	Taranaki	Taranaki Regional Council	New Plymouth	North	7,273	`NZ-TKI`
8	Manawatu-Wanganui	Horizons Regional Council	Palmerston North Palmerston North Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...	North	22,215	`NZ-MWT`
9	Wellington Wellington Region The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...	Greater Wellington Regional Council	Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...	North	8,124	`NZ-WGN`
10	Tasman ⁽¹⁾	Tasman District Council Tasman district council Tasman District Council is the Territorial Local Authority for the Tasman District of New Zealand.-Mayor:The current mayor of Tasman is Richard Kempthorne, who previously served as a Richmond councillor for two terms before being elected Mayor in October 2007.-Councillors:Tasman elects its...	Richmond Richmond, New Zealand Richmond, the seat of the Tasman District Council, lies 13 km south of Nelson in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the southern extremity of Tasman Bay...	South South Island The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...	9,786	`NZ-TAS`
11	Nelson Nelson, New Zealand Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island.... ⁽¹⁾	Nelson City Council Nelson City Council Nelson City Council is a Unitary Authority that administers the Nelson Tasman or "Top of the South" region alongside Tasman District Council. Nelson City Council is one of only five Unitary Authorities in the country...	Nelson Nelson, New Zealand Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....	South	445	`NZ-NSN`
12	Marlborough ⁽¹⁾	Marlborough District Council	Blenheim Blenheim, New Zealand Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...	South	12,484	`NZ-MBH`
13	West Coast	West Coast Regional Council	Greymouth Greymouth Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coast's inhabitants...	South	23,336	`NZ-WTC`
14	Canterbury	Canterbury Regional Council Canterbury Regional Council Canterbury Regional Council is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's structure of local government...	Christchurch Christchurch Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...	South	45,346	`NZ-CAN`
15	Otago	Otago Regional Council Otago Regional Council Otago Regional Council is the regional council for the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The council's principal office is Regional House on Stafford Street in Dunedin, with smaller offices in Queenstown and Alexandra....	Dunedin Dunedin Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...	South	31,990	`NZ-OTA`
16	Southland Southland Region Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...	Southland Regional Council Southland Regional Council The Southland Regional Council is the southernmost regional council in New Zealand. In 2006, it had an operating revenue of NZ$19.6 million, NZ$7.1 million of this from rates revenue....	Invercargill Invercargill Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...	South	34,347	`NZ-STL`
⁽¹⁾ These regions have unitary authorities Unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national... .

Areas outside regional boundaries

New Zealand has a number of outlying islands that are not included within regional boundaries. The Chatham Islands

Chatham Islands

The Chatham Islands are an archipelago and New Zealand territory in the Pacific Ocean consisting of about ten islands within a radius, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island. Their name in the indigenous language, Moriori, means Misty Sun...

is not in a region, although its council has some of the powers of a regional council under the Resource Management Act

Resource Management Act

The Resource Management Act passed in 1991 in New Zealand is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament. The RMA promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources such as land, air and water...

. The Kermadecs

Kermadec Islands

The Kermadec Islands are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga...

and the sub-Antarctic islands

New Zealand sub-antarctic islands

The five southernmost groups of the New Zealand Outlying Islands form the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic islands. These islands are collectively designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site....

are inhabited only by a small number of Department of Conservation

New Zealand Department of Conservation

The Department of Conservation , commonly known by its acronym, "DOC", is the state sector organisation which deals with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage...

staff. The Conservation Minister is empowered to act as a regional council for these islands.

Governance

Regional councils are popularly elected every three years in accordance with the Local Electoral Act 2001. Councils may use a first past the post or single transferable vote

Single transferable vote

The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...

system. The chairperson of a regional council is selected by the elected council members.

Wellington Region

Wellington had a regional council, and earlier the Wellington Regional Planning Authority.

United Councils

In 1978, legislation was passed enabling the formation of regions with United Councils. 20 regions were designated, excluding the ARA and WRC areas. For most of the country this was the first regional level of government since the abolition of provinces in 1876.
United Councils were not directly elected bodies - they consisted of appointed councillors from the various Territorial Local Authorities within the region.

The only responsibilities mandated by the legislation were coordination of civil defence and development of a regional plan, although the constituent TLAs could agree on additional responsibilities at the point of formation of each United Council. For example, in a number of cases the United Council took responsibility for the allocation of revenue from regional petrol taxes.

The United Councils were based in the facilities of the largest TLA in the region and largely dependent on the TLAs for resources. They were allowed to levy rates but in most cases had minimal operating budgets (below $100,000 per annum). The notable exception was Canterbury, where the United Council had a number of responsibilities. Only one united council undertook any direct operational activity - a forestry project in Wanganui.

List of United Councils

Region	United Council formed	Rates Levy (1982/83)
Northland	January 1980	$118,000
Thames Valley	July 1980	$46,000
Waikato	October 1980	$36,000
Bay of Plenty	August 1979	$17,000
Tongariro	November 1979	$50,000
East Cape	August 1979	$16,000
Hawkes Bay	December 1983	–
Taranaki	February 1979	$60,000
Wanganui	May 1979	$81,000
Wairarapa	November 1978	$33,000
Manawatu	May 1981	0
Horowhenua	June 1980	$47,000
Nelson Bays	November 1978	$84,000
Marlborough	December 1978	$30,000
Canterbury	May 1979	$605,000
West Coast	November 1978	$32,000
Aorangi	1983	–
Coastal / North Otago	April 1983	–
Clutha / Central Otago	November 1980	$33,000
Southland	May 1979	$88,000

Source: Summary of the Functions and Activities of United Councils Dept of Internal Affairs, 1984.