Local Government Reform: Why Tai Tokerau Northland Should Lead the Way

Now known as Te Hononga Hundertwasser Memorial Park - a perfect example of community led action.

​Local government reform has been talked about for years, so I’m stoked to see moves now officially on the table. The government’s latest announcement signals a major reset, and with it comes an opportunity we haven’t had in a long time: the chance for regions to help shape what comes next.
​
For Te Tai Tokerau Northland, this is not just a legislation moment. It’s a leadership moment.

We’re living the challenges, rising costs, outdated systems, compliance-heavy processes, and the constant grind of trying to deliver more with less. We’re also living the opportunities: community strength, cultural depth, natural abundance, and a deep desire for decisions to be made closer to home.

This reform isn’t simply about structures. It’s about purpose, relationships, capability. And let’s not sugar-coat it, it’s about credibility. And if the future is meant to be ‘locally-led, regionally-enabled, nationally supported,’ then I believe, Northland is ready to step up.

The previous Future for Local Government review asked hard questions about whether our current system is fit for the future. While the current government has chosen not to take its recommendations forward, the core diagnosis hasn’t changed:

• Compounding crises: climate impacts, economic pressure, social cohesion - are all felt locally;
• The current system is not set up for future success; and
• Absolutely, local government still has a critical role to play in place-based resilience.

The coalition’s new proposal is being pitched as the biggest shake-up of local government in three decades. On paper, it’s about simplifying structures, reducing duplication, and making responsibility clearer.

But there’s a lot at stake: environmental protection, Treaty relationships, local voice, and how our communities are represented in decisions that affect their place.

Here in Tai Tokerau, our own Mayoral Forum has already been clear that any reform must serve Northland as a whole and reject a ‘one size fits all’ solution from Wellington. Go them.

A few years ago I submitted a proposal to all four Northland councils urging Tai Tokerau to become a trial region, a place to test smarter, more efficient, more community-aligned models of governance.

That submission highlighted three things that are just as relevant today:

1. Our current system is not set up for future success.
   Costs are ballooning, complexity is rising, and our communities are feeling it.
2. We need approaches that put people and place at the centre.
   From protecting arable land to enabling strong local economies and a blue economy, our region has assets that deserve better stewardship.
3. We need courage and collaboration.
   Waiting for Wellington to fix things has never worked. Regions that step forward will shape the outcome.

The reform proposal now on the table doesn’t answer all of this. But it does create a new political reality, and a chance for Northland to lead, not just respond.

What could a ‘Northland Model’ look like?

This is where it gets interesting. Among other things, a refreshed system could enable Tai Tokerau to strengthen localism, build future ready capability, protect and activate our greatest asset - land and water.

Einstein said it well: ‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.’

Northland has always been stronger when we move together.

This is our opportunity to model what ‘locally-led, regionally-enabled’ truly looks like. My thinking is simple: Tai Tokerau can bring a united, forward-thinking voice to the table, not just asking for change, but helping design it.

Reform is coming. The question is: will it happen to us, or will it happen with us?
​
Northland has every reason, and every opportunity, to choose the latter.