World · New Zealand · Local power worldwide

Who runs local government in New Zealand?

New Zealand has two tiers of elected local government: 11 regional councils for environment and transport, and 67 city, district and unitary councils for local services. Elections are held every three years, mostly by post. Māori authority works through iwi (tribes), hapū and marae, and through Māori wards on councils, whose future was put to local polls in 2025.

New Zealand · Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy · Oceania

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Regional councils (11)	Councillors elected for three years; the chair is elected by councillors	Environment, freshwater, regional transport, civil defence.
Territorial authorities (67: city, district and unitary councils, including Auckland Council)	Mayor directly elected; councillors elected by ward or at large, by first-past-the-post or single transferable vote	Local roads, water services, planning, libraries, parks; unitary councils also do regional council work.
Community boards (about 110) and Auckland's 21 local boards	Elected members (plus some appointed councillors on community boards)	Advise councils and take local decisions delegated to them.

Three questions about local power in New Zealand

Are local leaders elected?

All councillors, mayors and community and local board members are elected. Iwi leaders are chosen through tribal processes, often elections among registered members.

Which laws set up local government?

Councils rest on the Local Government Act 2002 and Local Electoral Act 2001. Iwi entities are formal where created by settlement legislation; hapū and marae authority is largely customary.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Voters elect councils every three years. The Minister of Local Government can appoint observers, Crown managers or commissioners to replace a failing council. Courts and the Ombudsman review decisions.

Traditional and customary authority

Māori are organised in iwi (tribes) and hapū (sub-tribes) centred on marae (meeting grounds). Many iwi have settled historical claims under the Treaty of Waitangi and run post-settlement governance entities that own land, businesses and assets, and some settlements give iwi formal co-governance roles over rivers, lakes or reserves. The Local Government Act 2002 requires councils to give Māori opportunities to contribute to decisions. Māori land is governed by Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 and the Māori Land Court.

Community and neighbourhood power

Residents' associations, marae committees and community trusts are active, and councils must consult the public on long-term plans every three years. Body corporates manage unit-title apartment buildings under national law.

Points to know

Under the 2024 amendment, councils that had created Māori wards without a poll had to hold a binding poll at the October 2025 elections or reverse their decision.
In New Plymouth, voters chose to remove the Māori ward by 15,004 votes to 12,046.
Regional council chairs are chosen by councillors, not by voters.
Auckland Council became a single unitary 'supercity' in 2010.

Local terms

Iwi: A Māori tribe.
Hapū: A Māori sub-tribe or kinship group.
Marae: A Māori communal meeting ground and its buildings.
Māori ward: A council ward in which only voters on the Māori electoral roll vote.

Sources

Constitution of New Zealand 1852 (rev. 2014) (English text), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
Country profile: New Zealand, OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
The Local Government System in New Zealand: Country Profile 2017–18, Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), checked 14 October 2026
Reinstating the ability for polls on Māori wards, Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand, checked 14 October 2026
New Plymouth District Council: declaration of final election and Māori ward poll results (2025), New Plymouth District Council, checked 14 October 2026