Territorial authorities of New Zealand

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Territorial authorities is the formal term for the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 74 territorial authorities: 16 city councils, 58 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council. Five territorial authorities (Nelson City Council, Gisborne, Tasman and Marlborough District Councils and the Chatham Islands Council) also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities. Territorial authority districts are not subdivisions of regions, and some of them fall within more than one region. Franklin District Council, for example, falls within both the Auckland and Waikato regions. Regional Council areas are based on catchment areas, whereas territorial authorities are based on an area with sufficient ratepayers and community representation. Regional councils are responsible for the administration of environmental and transport matters and 74 territorial authorities that administer roading, sewerage, building consents, and other local matters.

1 Territorial Authorities
2 1989 Local Government reforms
3 Changes since 1989
4 See also
5 External links and sources

[edit] Territorial Authorities

[*] With the exception of Hutt City Council and Chatham Islands Council, each territorial authority is named after the area it covers, with the words "City Council" or "District Council" added. The Hutt City Council covers Lower Hutt (Lower Hutt City (Name of City Council) Act 1991); the Chatham Islands Council covers a district known as Chatham Islands Territory, and has no encompassing region (Chatham Islands Council Act 1995).

[edit] Offshore islands

There are eight islands where the Minister of Local Government is the territorial authority, three of which have a 'significant population and/or permanent buildings and structures.'

[edit] 1989 Local Government reforms

Until the local government reforms of 1989, a borough council with more than 20,000 people could be proclaimed a city. The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, so little distinction was made between the urban area and the local government area.

New Zealand’s local government structural arrangements were significantly reformed in 1989 when approximately 700 councils and special purpose bodies were amalgamated to create the current 86 local authorities. These comprise 12 regional councils and 73 territorial authorities (city/district councils) [1] The new district and city councils were generally much larger and covered both urban and rural land. Many places that once had a city council were now being administered by a district council. The term "city" began to take on two meanings.

The word "city" began to be used in a less formal sense to describe major urban areas independent of local body boundaries. This informal usage is jealously guarded. Gisborne, for example, adamantly described itself as the first city in the world to see the new millennium. Gisborne is administered by a district council, but its status as a city is not generally disputed.

[edit] Changes since 1989

Since the 1989 reorganisations conducted by the Local Government Commission, there have been few major reorganisations or status changes in local government. Incomplete list:

1991: Invercargill re-proclaimed a city.
1992: (by a Local Government Amendment Act) Abolition of Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council - Kaikoura was transferred to the Canterbury region, and Nelson city and Tasman and Marlborough districts became unitary authorities.
1995: Chatham Islands County dissolved and reconstituted as a district council with regional council functions by a special Act of Parliament.
2004: Tauranga became a city again on 1 March.

Reports on completed reorganisation proposals since 1999 are available on the Local Government Commission's site (link below).

2006: Banks Peninsula District merged into Christchurch City as a result of 2005 referendum

[edit] See also

[edit] External links and sources

Local Councils website (maintained by the Department of Internal Affairs)
Local Government Services at the Department of Internal Affairs site (includes the Local Government Directory at the bottom of the page)
- Administration of Offshore Islands
Local Government Commission site
Local Government Online Limited site (portal site owned by the Society of Local Government Managers and the Association of Local Government Information Management)
Local Government New Zealand region and district boundaries - North Island
Local Government New Zealand region and district boundaries - South Island
Statistics New Zealand clickable map for local body and area unit detail over all NZ

Territorial Authorities of New Zealand
Cities:
North Shore \| Waitakere \| Auckland \| Manukau \| Hamilton \| Tauranga \| Napier \| Palmerston North \| Porirua \| Upper Hutt \| Lower Hutt \| Wellington \| Nelson* \| Christchurch \| Dunedin \| Invercargill
Districts:
North Island: Far North \| Whangarei \| Kaipara \| Rodney \| Papakura \| Franklin \| Thames-Coromandel \| Hauraki \| Waikato \| Matamata-Piako \| Waipa \| South Waikato \| Otorohanga \| Rotorua \| Waitomo \| Taupo \| Western Bay of Plenty \| Whakatane \| Kawerau\| Opotiki \| Gisborne* \| Wairoa \| Hastings \| Central Hawke's Bay \| New Plymouth \| Stratford \| South Taranaki \| Ruapehu \| Wanganui \| Rangitikei \| Manawatu \| Tararua \| Horowhenua \| Kapiti Coast \| Masterton \| Carterton \| South Wairarapa
South Island: Tasman* \| Marlborough* \| Buller \| Grey \| Westland \| Kaikoura \| Hurunui \| Waimakariri \| Selwyn \| Ashburton \| Timaru \| Mackenzie \| Waimate \| Waitaki \| Queenstown-Lakes \| Central Otago \| Clutha \| Gore \| Southland
Territory: Chatham Islands
*unitary authorities