Eastern Bay proposal gains support, final decision pending

Ōpōtiki District Council and Whakatāne District Council have today resolved to support a proposal to Central Government seeking the establishment of an Eastern Bay of Plenty unitary authority.

The proposal has been developed jointly by Ōpōtiki District Council, Whakatāne District Council and Kawerau District Council as part of the Government’s Head Start pathway under the Simplifying Local Government reform programme. The Head Start process provides councils with the opportunity to put forward locally developed proposals ahead of the Government's 9 August 2026 deadline

The proposal outlines a potential future governance arrangement that would bring together the functions of the three district councils and relevant regional council responsibilities within a single Eastern Bay authority.

Today's decisions mean that two of the three participating councils have now agreed to support submission of the proposal. Kawerau District Council will consider the same recommendation at its meeting tomorrow morning (subs Wednesday, 5 August).

Submission of the proposal does not create a new council, nor does it represent a final decision on the future structure of local government in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The proposal is the first step in a Government-led process to assess whether the concept should progress to a more detailed design and evaluation phase.

If all three councils support the proposal and it is submitted to Government, Cabinet is expected to consider outline proposals later this year. Any proposal that progresses would require further detailed work, including consideration of governance arrangements, representation, services, financial implications, iwi relationships and further community engagement.

For further information, including the proposal documents head to our Simplifying Local Government page on Connect | Hono Mai.