This was the clear direction after Council received around 1700 and survey responses through its Head Start Pathway engagement. Results showed that:

• Local representation was overwhelmingly important to respondents
• 90.8% of responses identified Waimakariri as being part of the wider North Canterbury community. This compared to 9.2% for Greater Christchurch
• Residents ranked their priorities for Council as being in infrastructure, representation, then investment
• A North Canterbury Unitary Council (Waimakariri, Hurunui and potentially Kaikōura) was the preferred model for amalgamation at 54.5% of first preference votes. The option for a stand-alone unitary council received 34.7% of first preference votes. Only 10.8% chose a Greater Christchurch model as their first preference
• Written feedback showed strong support for local representation and decision-making, with many respondents wanting to retain the North Canterbury identity and ensure rural communities continue to have a strong voice
• Participants ranged in age from 18 to over 90 years old. Responses were received from urban, rural and semi-rural parts of the district, with only a small number of responses from people living outside Waimakariri.

Mayor Dan Gordon said the consultation had provided valuable insight into the community’s preferred model and aspirations for the future.

"The community has given us a clear message about the importance of local representation, maintaining our North Canterbury identity, and ensuring future governance arrangements and community investment continues to reflect the needs and aspirations of residents. We thank everyone who took the time to have their say.

“Like our community who have overwhelmingly supported this option in the survey, I have favoured a North Canterbury alignment. This will give us opportunities to leverage our collective strengths to ensure wider North Canterbury is strong and well positioned for now and for the future.

“We are working very closely with our neighbours and will continue to work closely with them as they undertake their own consultations. The next steps are confirming our submission to central government for consideration.”

Council has until 9 August to submit a proposal to the Government under the Head Start Pathway process and is engaging with Hurunui and Kaikōura councils, as well as with wider Canterbury as part of the Mayoral Forum.

A report will come to a Council meeting on 4 August to adopt our position and proposal for Head Start before it is submitted.

If councils are unable to provide a suitable proposal, an interim body will be established by the Government in 2028 to govern regional functions and facilitate reorganisation.

Legislation reforming local government is expected to be implemented before the 2028 local body elections, establishing the framework for future council structures across New Zealand.

Detailed information on this and wider local government reforms is available on Council’s website.

Distribution of amalgamation structure votes:

Option	1st Preference	2nd Preference	3rd Preference
Option A – Standalone Waimakariri unitary council	585 (34.7%)	675 (46.7%)	244 (17.1%)
Option B – North Canterbury unitary council	921 (54.5%)	596 (41.3%)	83 (5.8%)
Option C – Greater Christchurch council	182 (10.8%)	174 (12.0%)	1,102 (77.1%)
Total	1,688 (100.0%)	1,445 (100.0%)	1,429 (100.0%)

Note: Paper feedback forms have been incorporated into these results. Some responses may have been incomplete or formatted differently resulted in different total counts for each option.

A more thorough analysis of results, including any submissions currently in the mail, will be included as part of Council’s Head Start proposal.