1989 New Zealand local government reforms
The 1989 New Zealand local government reform was the most significant reform of local government in New Zealand in over a century. Some 850 local bodies were amalgamated into 86 local authorities, on regional and territorial levels. The new authorities were established on 1 November, following the election of members on 14 October 1989.
Background
The previous major local government reform was the replacement of provincial government with elected borough and county councils at the end of 1876. The Counties Act 1876 created 63 counties out of the rural parts of the provinces.Over subsequent decades, many new bodies were set up, some of them multi-purpose, and others single-purpose, such as harbour boards. The Local Government Act 1974 consolidated the law relating to territorial local authorities, removing the distinction between urban authorities and rural authorities. It enabled the establishment of regional councils, but these were not established until the 1989 reform.