What's happening with Head Start
Background
On 5 May 2026, central government announced a new ‘Head Start’ pathway for local government reform, giving councils until 9 August 2026 to come up with proposals to join up with neighbouring authorities.
The Head Start pathway outlines potential future changes to how councils are structured, in particular the shift toward larger unitary authorities. A unitary authority is a single council organisation that delivers the services of both city/district and regional councils. Examples of these are in place now in Auckland, Gisborne, Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman.
Councils can choose to progress a proposal through Head Start which will then be evaluated by central government. Any councils that decide not to take the Head Start pathway, or cannot agree on a new arrangement, will enter a compulsory amalgamation process after the 2028 local government elections (“Back Stop”).
More about ‘Head Start’
Any two or more councils (except for Auckland) can submit a proposal if they represent a majority of the directly affected councils, or the majority of the population across directly affected areas.
All proposals must be to establish a new unitary authority.
Proposals will be evaluated across five criteria:
- deliverability
- supports the new planning system
- simplifies local governance
- economies of scale
- maintains local voice.
Central government has indicated that detailed financial analysis and community consultation would take place if a proposal is successful.
Any council that chooses not to submit a Head Start proposal, or has a proposal rejected by central government, will fall into the ‘Backstop’ process with limited ability to influence local government reform.
Read more information about Head Start from central government here
What this means for Hamilton City Council
On 28 May 2026, Elected Members decided Hamilton City Council would work towards submitting a Head Start proposal.
Council will initially explore at least three potential models for local government reform in Hamilton and the surrounding area:
- a merger of Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council based on the existing IAWAI partnership
- a merger of Hamilton City Council, Waikato District Council, and Waipā District Council
- a single council for the whole of the Waikato region (within the Waikato Regional Council boundary).
Essentially this means Hamilton City Council (and other councils) may not exist when it comes time to vote in the 2028 local government elections.
At the same time, if there is a change of government later this year, the Head Start process could go nowhere. Or there may be a new process for local government reform.
There are a lot of unknowns and uncertainty, however, Council will keep Hamiltonians informed at every milestone and of every decision along the way.
Hamilton’s issues call for reform
Hamilton City Council has been saying for a long time that we need solutions to the cross-boundary challenges we face, as more people want to live here and more housing development occurs.
Hamilton City Council, along with some neighbouring councils, tangata whenua, central government and Tamaki Makaurau partners (South Auckland iwi and Auckland Council), is involved in the Future Proof partnership. Future Proof was set up to consider how Hamilton and the surrounding area should develop into the future. The partners work together to consider the important issues that affect us now and over the next 30 years.
Local government reform presents an opportunity to address the challenges Future Proof has been working towards.
Read more about Future Proof here
What is the timeline for local government reform?
Cabinet approved Head Start
Head Start opens
Head Start proposal submitted
Central government has indicated this is when community consultation on the proposal would happen
Cabinet agrees proposals in principle
General Election
Final proposals submitted
Cabinet confirms proposals
Cabinet makes final policy decisions
Cabinet approved legislation
Legislation introduced
Legislation enacted
Proposal implementation begins
Nominations for local elections
Local elections
What does this mean for my rates and the services residents receive?
We know this will be one of the most important questions our community has. At this stage it is too early to know what the impact on rates or services will be, however central government has indicated that detailed financial analysis and community consultation would take place further down the track if a proposal is successful.
How can I have a say on this issue?
It’s important that the views of our communities help to steer conversations and guide decision making. We will be reaching out to residents to invite their feedback at different stages of the process.
Feedback
Last updated 4 June 2026