On Sunday 9 August, Porirua City, Hutt City, Wellington City and South Wairarapa District Councils submitted a joint proposal to central government under the Head Start pathway for local government amalgamation.
The proposal is one of two submitted by councils within the wider Wellington region.
Government will now decide whether to accept the proposal, and advise next steps.
The Government invited councils across New Zealand to explore potential local government amalgamations through a fast-tracked “Head Start” process.
This process gave councils a limited window to work together to explore options, test ideas and put forward regional proposals that reflect the needs of local communities. If councils did not lead this work themselves, the Government said it would step in and make the decisions.
Porirua City Council worked with councils across the wider Wellington region – including Kāpiti, Wairarapa, and Horowhenua – to participate in this process to ensure our communities have a voice in shaping any future proposals. Councils had until 9 August to put forward amalgamation proposals.
On Thursday 6 August Porirua City Council voted to submit an amalgamation proposal based on a single unitary council, supported by strong community councils, but said a referendum should be included in the next steps.
The proposal was developed by councils in the Wellington region as part of Government’s Head Start process, as part of its Simplifying Local Government reforms.
No decisions have been made by the Government.