6 May 2026: Local Government reforms

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Local government reforms

Enquiry

I am sure you have seen the govt announcement regarding local government reforms

I was wondering if you might be able to answer some questions for me about this. Preferably by tomorrow lunch time at the latest, if that works?

• What work has already started on possible restructuring options?

Is the three month time period sufficient for RLC?

Have you done any costings on what change might cost versus save long-term?

Which parts of the organisation would be most affected if you moved to a unitary model?

If you had to submit a proposal tomorrow, what would it most likely look like?

Are there already any preferred groupings or partner councils being discussed internally?

How ready is the organisation for a fast-tracked governance overhaul?

What risks or concerns have staff raised about moving to a larger council structure?

Response

From Mayor Tania Tapsell:

This is a massive moment for local decision making across the country. Done well, this has the potential to deliver real benefits for communities and ratepayers. But we are also mindful that previous monster mergers such as in tertiary education and health reforms haven't always worked well.

There are some councils and communities that it wouldn't make sense to merge, but it is an exciting opportunity for councils that are ready to move faster and bring about change. Our Rotorua Council was a step ahead and we've already committed to exploring the option of becoming a unitary authority which will take over the functions over regional councils as well.

There are key areas of interest that regional councils look after such as transport, waterways, stormwater management, environmental protection and biosecurity which are very important to our district. I'm glad that Regional Councillors now have confirmation they'll finish their term until 2028, it would have been grossly unfair if Government did scrap them as was threatened. Keeping strong local oversight and decision-making in these areas will be essential for us moving forward.

The main concern at this stage is the timeframe of only three months to decide, that's not enough to gauge a good view of what our community would support. We're exploring how we can best have these conversations with our community as any changes must clearly show strong benefits for Rotorua.

The decisions we make now will have long-term implications for our communities, and we are committed to working through this carefully to ensure we get it right for Rotorua. I will be discussing this further with Bay of Plenty mayors tonight, and I'm sure we'll all be focused and on only supporting change if there's real and practical benefits that are supported by the communities we represent.

From CE Andrew Moraes:

The organisation will take direction from our elected officials and the work we have in front of us will be to find a solution that returns the best value for our community.

We are always open to new ways of working to deliver better value for our customers and ratepayers.