Regional governance is the capability to plan, fund and deliver decisions and services at the scale of the region, across council boundaries, with clear accountability for results.
The Government's Simplifying Local Government proposal would remove regional councillors and replace them with boards of local mayors. The intention is to reduce duplication and simplify governance.
But one core issue is left hanging: when problems cross district boundaries, who is responsible for joining the dots and leading the regional response?
Waitaha Canterbury faces complex regional issues: cross-boundary water challenges, sea level rise and erosion along our coastline, climate-driven intensive rainfall, housing markets spanning multiple districts, tourism pressure on small communities where impacts are local but benefits regional. These don't stop at district lines, and no single district can realistically fund or manage major shared needs on its own.
I support reform. But reform should build the capability needed for regional challenges, not remove regional governance because fixing the challenges is difficult. Before making irreversible structural changes, we should ask whether the proposal achieves its stated goals.
- Today Canterbury has 16 regionally-mandated representatives, including Ngāi Tahu.
- Under the proposal: 10 mayors, and possibly Crown commissioners or ministerial appointees — with no one elected specifically for regional responsibilities.
New Zealand needs clarity on what should be coordinated regionally: long-term capability for climate adaptation and infrastructure investment; stronger mechanisms between local and regional governance; and genuine democratic accountability for regional decisions.
Reform is needed. The real question is whether we strengthen regional capability or dismantle it without solving the problems that really matter.