18525 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government

Written Question

Published date: 18 May 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	18525 (2026)
Question asked:	04 May 2026
Member asking:	Tangi Utikere
Portfolio:	Minister of Local Government
Minister replying:	Hon Simon Watts
Answer received:	12 May 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_18525_2026
Document guid:	cd76f589-dd7d-4a57-a395-a2873945055a

18525 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government: Which Canterbury councils, if any, have formally communicated with the Minister's office about joining or partnering with other councils, and on what dates was that correspondence received?

Hon Simon Watts: On 2 December 2025, I received a letter from the Mayor of Christchurch, Phil Mauger, outlining two potential governance options aligned with the Simplifying Local Government initiative, one of which involved other Canterbury councils.