The future of local government
Local government in Aotearoa New Zealand is set to change, and we want to understand what matters most to our communities as we start to navigate what the future of Queenstown Lakes District Council might look like.
What’s happening?
The government has announced its requirements to simplify local government. For Queenstown Lakes, this could affect how decisions are made, how services are delivered, and how we work with neighbouring councils in Otago.
Councils have the option of working on their own proposals through the ‘head start’ pathway or waiting for direction from government.
Summary of Head Start
In May this year, the government announced Head Start for Simplifying Local Government - a streamlined, voluntary pathway for councils willing and able to reorganise before the 2028 local body elections.
This pathway enables a two-step process:
- Groups of two or more councils prepare and submit an outline proposal by August 2026.
- If cabinet accepts the proposal then more detailed design would be progressed for legislation in 2027. Proposals would be implemented by May 2028.
Councils which choose not to progress via Head Start would enter a compulsory backstop process after the 2028 elections. This would involve the Government developing its own proposals for reorganisation.
>> Read more detail about the head start pathway here
Where are we at?
Any proposal must meet the needs and local realities of our unique district.
So far we’ve been involved in early discussions through the Otago Mayoral Forum and ongoing engagement with central government and regional partners. This involves conversations to explore what future options could look like whether at a regional level, between neighbouring councils, or in smaller groupings where it makes practical sense.
We also participated in a regional survey - the feedback provided in this survey was shared with Mayors across the Otago region. You can take a look at the findings in the important links section on the right hand side of this page.
Some technical analysis on reorganisation options has been completed by Morrison Low. This covered planning system alignment, communities of interest, population and economic data, current representation arrangements, and financial benchmarking (including debt, revenue and operating cost comparisons across councils). Morrison Low also presented an assessment of how each option aligns with the Government's stated criteria for local government reform. Check out the analysis in the important links section on the right hand side of this page.
Councillors have also hosted some community drop-in sessions to start the conversation with our local people. These conversations will continue to play an important part as this process evolves.
Next, Councillors will formally consider whether to submit a 'Head Start' proposal at a Full Council meeting on 4 August 2026.
Join the online conversation
Take part in an online community conversation - use the discussion forum below to let us know what you think. What works well with the current council system, and what would you most like to see improved?