Palmerston North agrees next steps on local government reform
Published on 05 August 2026
At today's Council meeting, Palmerston North City Council agreed how it will respond to the Government's plans to reform local government.
Rather than submitting a formal Head Start proposal by 9 August, we will work with Horowhenua District Council to finalise a joint letter to the Minister for Local Government. The letter will confirm that both councils want to ‘front foot’ a proposal and work together in exploring what a future unitary council, with regional functions, could look like. However, it also recognises that more time is needed. We want to work through the evidence, model and test different options with other neighbouring councils, iwi and the wider community before making any long-term decisions about what's best for the people of Palmerston North.
Mayor Grant Smith says Council wants to help lead local government reform in our wider Manawatū region, but won't rush into a model before it's ready.
"We support the direction of reform, but we don't support making decisions of this size in such a short timeframe. We don't yet have enough information to formally commit to a Head Start proposal, but that doesn't mean we're dismissing it or standing still. We want to keep leading these conversations and help shape the future of local government in our region, rather than waiting for change to happen to us."
"Over the past few months we've explored options, engaged with our community and started very important conversations with our partners and neighbours. What's become clear is that we need more time to identify the exact right model."
We received nearly 600 survey responses during recent community engagement. Feedback showed many people were open to change, provided it improved outcomes while protecting local representation.
"Our community has told us that they are open to change if it delivers smarter regional planning, more investment and efficiency, but they also want confidence in continued service delivery and the cost of that delivery."
The joint letter will outline the principles both councils believe should underpin any future reform: growth, resilience, affordability, and strong local representation.
Our Council's preferred direction is to continue exploring a sub-regional arrangement with Horowhenua that reflects the communities connected by the Manawatū River, with a focus on including neighbouring Manawatū and Tararua District Councils.
"We already work closely with our neighbours and share many of the same opportunities and challenges. Many thousands of people from around us, travel into the city each day for work, school or tertiary study, healthcare and shopping, along with sport, recreation and culture. These are our common communities of interest. Investigating a sub-regional Manawatū-Horowhenua Unitary Council model centred on the Manawatū River, gives us a logical place to start those conversations. But recognising there's still plenty of work to do before any long-term decisions are made."
We will now work with Horowhenua District Council to finalise the joint letter before its sent to the Minister.
"This conversation is just getting started. We'll keep you involved in any next steps and we’ll do our best to make sure Palmerston North City helps shape its own future."
Recordings from today's Council meeting are available and the meeting minutes will be uploaded to our website in the coming days. Written advice (including initial amalgamation options) that informed the decision, is also on our website.
Watch the meeting and read the documents