28830 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government

28830 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government: What advice, if any, has the Minister received on the risk that first-generation plans prepared under the new planning system will need to be redone if councils are reorganised after the 2028 local elections?

Hon Simon Watts: The Head Start pathway is designed to support delivery of the new planning system. It gives councils that are ready to move early the confidence to keep implementing the new planning system now, while shaping governance arrangements that better align over time with how the new planning system is designed to work. Delivering the new planning system remains core business for all councils, whichever pathway they choose.