Wellington City Council is inviting residents to share their views on potential council amalgamation in the Wellington region. Mayor Andrew Little has emphasised that local people should decide the future of their local government in response to Central Government reforms that will mandate change regardless of local preference. The Council is working with other regional councils to develop a proposal for what local government should look like, rather than having the structure imposed by Central Government.
The consultation process involves a survey on the Council’s Let’s Talk website, open until 19 July 2026, with public forums planned for late July. Central Government has imposed a 10-week deadline for councils to submit their own reorganisation proposals by 9 August 2026. Mayor Little has acknowledged this timeline is too short for proper community engagement, but the Council is treating it as an opportunity to lead its own reform rather than have change imposed from above.
The consultation is not formal engagement on a detailed proposal, and the Council expects to conduct further consultation if a Wellington region proposal is accepted and progressed to detailed design. The feedback gathered will inform the Mayor and Councillors as they decide whether to submit a proposal to Central Government. If councils do not make a successful proposal for change, Central Government will decide how councils in the region will be structured.
In November 2025, Central Government announced it would reform local government by removing regional councils and examining how other councils could be merged. Any changes resulting from this reform process would take effect after the 2028 Local Government Election. The Council is encouraging all Wellingtonians to participate in the conversation through surveys, forums, and future engagement opportunities.
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Source: Wellington City Council – News. This summary was published by Input Ltd via amalgamation.nz, New Zealand’s central resource for local government amalgamation news and council merger updates.
