FAQs

At present, local government has three models:

• Territorial authorities (i.e. district and city councils), which are responsible for local services and day-to-day infrastructure such as local roads and footpaths; libraries, parks and community facilities; three water services; and local planning.
• Regional councils, which focus on environmental management, regulation and regional-level issues such as managing rivers, coasts, and natural resources; environmental regulation (air, water, land use); and regional public transport.  
• Unitary councils, which deliver all the responsibilities of both territorial authorities and regional councils.

A Unitary Authority is the single, region-wide council responsible for delivering the functions currently undertaken by regional and territorial authorities. It provides strategic leadership, long-term planning, major infrastructure, regulatory services and regional investment, while delegating local decision-making and the oversight of community services (such as libraries) to elected Community Councils.

Councils are not required to take part in the Head Start process however, the Government has indicated it may step in and make decisions if councils do not engage.

Submitting a proposal allows councils to help shape what the future could look like, even if details are still being worked through. 

The proposal due on 9 August 2026 is an outline proposal rather than a detailed business case. 

Councils are being asked to provide a high-level description of their preferred governance model and how it would support future planning, simplify local government, improve efficiency, maintain local representation and be implemented by 2028.

Detailed matters such as governance arrangements, rates impacts, implementation costs and service delivery models would be worked through in a later detailed design phase if a proposal is accepted by the Government.