Simplifying Local Government - Reforms 2026

Latest updates:

Kaikōura and Marlborough District Councils Submit Joint Head start Proposal

August 10th 2026

Today, Marlborough District Council and Kaikōura District Council have formally submitted a joint Head Start Proposal to the Government's Simplifying Local Government programme.

The proposal seeks government approval to move to the detailed design phase and explores the establishment of an extended unitary authority for Marlborough and Kaikōura starting from 2028.

It builds on the strong connections between our communities while aiming to simplify governance, strengthen planning and infrastructure delivery, and maintain a strong local voice for Kaikōura.💥💪

The proposal and an accompanying letter were submitted to Ministers Chris Bishop and Simon Watts today. We now await feedback from government before the end of September as to whether are proposal has been successful or not.

Thank you to all those that contributed to the surveys and provided valuable feedback for consideration into our thinking for the proposal. 🙌🙏

Click below to read the covering letter and joint proposal:

Covering Letter

KDC MDC Joint Head Start Outline Proposal

Marlborough District Council Backs Marlborough-Kaikōura Head Start Proposal

August 6th 2026

Marlborough District Councillors today voted unanimously to submit a joint proposal with Kaikōura District Council to the Government's Head Start initiative, taking the first formal step toward establishing a single unitary council covering the two districts.

The proposal, developed jointly by the two councils, will be submitted to Government by 9 August.

To read the full article visit the Marlborough District Council news page at https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/your-council/simplifying-local-government/simplifying-local-government-news

Head Start Pathway Progress

August 5th 2026

We're pleased to share that today Council has endorsed submission of our joint Head Start proposal.

Council received the report, provided feedback on the draft proposal, and authorised the Mayor and Chief Executive to continue working with Marlborough District Council to finalise and submit the proposal to Government.

Marlborough District Council will be considering the draft at their meeting tomorrow.

If approved by both Councils, we will look to submit to government for their feedback by the 9th of August.

Below is a brief summary of some key decisions from the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 5 August 2026. You can read the full reports online in our agenda:

https://www.kaikoura.govt.nz/council/meetings-cale...

At the 5 August 2026 Extraordinary Council meeting, Councillors considered and made decisions on the following matters as set out in the Council agenda and associated reports.

1. Draft Head Start Proposal (Agenda page 2)

Council was asked to review and provide feedback on a draft joint Head Start proposal being developed with Marlborough District Council as part of the Government's Simplifying Local Government programme. The proposal explores the potential creation of a joint unitary authority covering the Kaikōura and Marlborough districts.

The report outlined:

• Council's previous decision to identify a joint unitary authority with Marlborough District Council as its preferred option
• The work undertaken to develop a draft joint proposal since then including the key aspects of the draft proposal.
• The key risks associated with any government decision on the proposal
• High level cost estimates associated with the work required for both the detailed design phase and implementation should government approval the head start proposal.
• The timelines and next steps for submission of the proposal including MDC consideration of the draft.

Outcome

Council received the report, provided feedback on the draft proposal, and authorised the Mayor and Chief Executive to continue working with Marlborough District Council to finalise and submit the joint Head Start proposal to Government. The proposal will continue to be refined ahead of submission.

Kaikōura votes to align with Marlborough for government reforms

July 15th 2026

At their meeting today, Kaikōura District Council elected members voted by a significant majority to confirm that alignment with Marlborough District Council is their preferred option for submitting a Head Start proposal to central government regarding the Simplifying Local Government reforms.

After the decision was postponed last week following the State of Emergency, elected members considered a report from officers that outlined information regarding two viable options: a North Canterbury joint unitary authority including the Waimakariri, Hurunui, and Kaikōura districts, and a unitary authority between the Marlborough and Kaikōura districts. The officers' report outlined all relevant information but stopped short of including a recommended option, leaving the final judgement entirely with elected members to make the decision based on the balance of information before them.

Kaikōura was in a unique position in that it had two very credible options on the table. We have had productive discussions to date with all our neighbours to help inform the process, as well as received extensive feedback from our community and mana whenua through the process. Elected members debated the opportunities, risks, and trade-offs associated with each option, acknowledging that the decision made today was based on the best information available at this point. They also acknowledged that there is a lot more work to be done and a long journey ahead before any proposal becomes a reality. Given the events of last week that impacted both districts, consideration will also be given to requesting an extension to the 9 August deadline.

Mayor Craig Mackle said, "It was an incredibly hard decision to make, especially given the timeframes set by government. We have great relationships with all our neighbours and will continue to do so." This was clearly demonstrated during last week's weather events, when teams from across Canterbury and Marlborough came to assist in our time of need. "Political boundaries do not stop good neighbours from working together."

Following today’s decision, Marlborough District Council has indicated it will consult with community on whether to submit a joint Head Start proposal with Kaikōura. While it seeks community feedback to inform any final decision, Marlborough District Council will determine whether to commit to work with Kaikōura District Council to develop a Head Start proposal at an extraordinary meeting on 23 July.

June 30th 2026:

Simplifying Local Government Headstart Pathway Options - June 24th Council Meeting.

Council was asked to consider whether to participate in the Government’s Head Start pathway for local government reform and to progress discussions with neighbouring councils.

The report outlined:

• The proposed national reform creating larger unitary authorities

• Options to participate (Head Start) or default to the Government-led Backstop pathway

• Initial engagement with neighbouring councils and early community feedback

Outcome Council agreed to participate in the Head Start pathway and progress discussions with neighbouring councils both north and south. A preferred option will be brought back to Council on the 8th July before a formal proposal is submitted on the 9th of August.

Click below to read the report:

Council Amalgamation Report June 24, 2026

Based on all community feedback to date, Council has formally agreed to submit a Head Start proposal to central government on the 9th August 2026. Council have also agreed to continue conversations regarding two main options for amalgamation with a view to identifying a preferred option by the 8th July 2026.

The two main options are:

(1) Joining with Marlborough District Council to form a new unitary Council covering Marlborough and Kaikōura Districts?

(2) Joining the whole of Kaikōura District with Hurunui and Waimakariri to form a new North Canterbury Unitary Authority?

June 19th 2026:

We recently held two public meetings in Kaikōura and Kekerengu. Thank you to all who took the time to attend. We really enjoyed and appreciated our time with you.

The first paper on amalgamation options is going to Council on Wednesday 24th June and is available on the meeting agenda. Click here to read

We will be advertising here, on our social media platforms and via email when we have dates for future associated community meetings. Please make sure that you have shared your email address with the team at KDC if you are wanting to receive any of our email invitations.

Click here to read the handout from our recent community meetings which also gives a summary of survey results as at 7pm June 15th 2026.

A reminder also that the feedback survey closing time has been extended to 5pm 30th June 2026. We will be sharing a summary of the results after the closing date.

Government announcement

On 5 May 2026, the Government announced proposed changes to how local councils work across New Zealand.

They confirmed that:

• Regional councillors will stay in place until the end of the current term in 2028
• Some key regional council functions (for us, Environment Canterbury) will continue to be delivered locally, rather than being run from Wellington

The main proposal is to reorganise councils into larger structures.

There are two main pathways:

• Head Start pathway – councils can choose to work together and put forward their own proposal by 9 August 2026
• Backstop pathway – if councils don’t propose a solution, the Government will decide the structure and how councils are reorganised

These changes would likely result in the creation of larger combined councils (called unitary councils), which bring together both regional and district functions.

What it means for Kaikōura

If these proposals go ahead, it is likely this will be the final term for the current council structure.

By October 2028, Kaikōura could be part of a new, larger council with different boundaries and governance arrangements.

Until then, Council will continue to:

• operate under current laws and policies
• deliver services and projects as planned

This is a significant change and will affect how decisions are made, how services are delivered, and how our community is represented.

It is the biggest change to local government since 1989.

What are the next steps

At this stage, there is still limited information from the Government.

Council has been given a short timeframe to consider options and decide whether to put forward a proposal, or allow the Government to determine the outcome.

We don’t have all the answers yet.

Our immediate focus is to:

• better understand the requirements
• share information with the community
• talk with neighbouring councils
• explore what options may be available

What options do we have?

Based on the current proposals, it is unlikely that Kaikōura can remain as a standalone council. There are several possible options to consider (the below is not exhaustive):

• Partnering with Hurunui District Council
  We already share services and a water services entity. However, together our population would still likely be below the preferred size for a combined council.
• Aligning with Marlborough District
  Marlborough is already a unitary council. This could include Kaikōura on its own, or together with Hurunui.
• A North Canterbury option
  This could involve Hurunui and Waimakariri Districts.
• A wider Canterbury option
  A single combined council for Canterbury is another possibility, although this would be more complex to achieve.

At this stage, no decisions have been made. Other options may also emerge as discussions/feedback progress, including different ways of grouping neighbouring districts or regions

How you can find out more

We will keep this web page updated as we go. We will also be updating social media posts and organising further public meetings as we progress the journey.

We have included some high-level pieces of information that are available to us at present.

One is a summary of the key points of the government announcement, the second is a timeframe for both pathways and how the steps between now and 2028 might look. The third outlines the timelines and process for the Head Start pathway and the criteria any Head Start proposal would need to demonstrate. Further guidance on that is expected from central government in the next week or so.

Click on the “Simplifying Local Government Information Sheets” button to read.

Click on the "Community Briefing June 2026" button to read the handout shared at our community meetings held in June.