Canterbury’s mayors have supported submitting a regional Head Start proposal for the Simplifying Local Government reform with the details to be worked in in the coming weeks.

The Canterbury Mayoral Forum met on Friday and is recommending its member councils explore a regional approach to developing a proposal, with individual councils working through the detail of what that looks like for their communities.

The Mayors of the region’s 10 territorial authorities, the Chair of Environment Canterbury, and the Kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, supported by their deputies and chief executives, attended the meeting.

The main focus was the Government’s Simplifying Local Government proposal.

After a robust discussion around the table, the Forum agreed to support a Canterbury Head Start pathway for the region, noting that this will provide for more than one proposed unitary authority.

Forum chairperson and Timaru Mayor Nigel Bowen said it was the role of the territorial authorities to signal to central government what the best path forward looked like for Canterbury.

“Each of us wants to make sure our communities’ best interests are represented, so we are taking the discussions had here today back to our individual councils, where we will work through the details.

“We are asking each council to take into consideration the discussions we have had that will help frame what our region looks like in the future.

“We are part of a large and complex region, and this is a once-in-a-generation process we all want to get right.

“Details of how we will coordinate a regional approach will be confirmed in the coming weeks.”

Bowen acknowledged Ecan’s proactive engagement with the local government changes, noting the Regional Council had taken steps to ensure each council understood how its services could best support the future structure of local government across the region.

At the meeting, the forum also agreed to establish a committee to develop a long-term Regional Spatial Plan, as required by upcoming national planning legislation, with the plan to be completed by mid-2027.

The Forum discussed governance, funding, and resourcing arrangements for the process.

The Forum also approved the final draft of the Mayoral Forum’s Plan for Canterbury 2026-28, and its World-stage ready document, which is a precursor to a potential Regional Deal.

In addition, the Mayoral Forum discussed its commitment to establishing local leadership groups across the region.

They agreed to request a report to understand how the Canterbury Water Management Strategy fits within the context of the Simplifying Local Government and Resource Management reforms for discussion at their August meeting.

By Jonathan Leask