​Local government reform ‘Head Start’ pathway announced by government

The Government has announced a new ‘Head Start’ pathway for local government reform, giving councils 90 days to put forward proposals for how local government could be reorganised and structured in the future.

The Head Start pathway allows for two or more councils to submit a proposal to establish a new unitary authority covering part, or all of a region. Unitary authorities combine the functions of a regional council and a city or district council into a single organisation.

What this means for Ōpōtiki
For now we are, business as usual. Our services within the community, like roading, the library, water services – all remain unchanged.

Our elected members and council staff are working through understanding what the reforms will mean for the district and this includes getting more information and clarity from central government.

As of now, there is limited detail from government about how the Head Start pathway will work and no decisions have been made about whether Ōpōtiki District Council will be part of any proposal.

Keeping you informed
We are in the early stages of understanding the implications of the announcement and will keep you updated as more information becomes available, including how we will engage with our communities on this reform and what you want to see for your rohe.

For more information you can read the policy document here - Head-Start-Simplifying-Local-Government-policy-document.pdf