40-459: The Palmerston North City Council is the territorial authority for the city of Palmerston North in New Zealand . The council is made up of a mayor elected at-large and 15 councillors, with 13 elected from a city-wide general ward (Te Hirawanui Ward) and 2 from a city-wide Māori ward (Te Pūao Ward). They are elected using a single transferable voting system in triennial elections , with
80-606: A mayor–council government . Mayors in New Zealand are directly elected— at-large , by all eligible voters within a territorial authority—in the local elections to a three-year term. The Local Government Act 2002 defines the role of a mayor as having to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform civic duties. List of cities in New Zealand The word city took on two meanings in New Zealand after
120-863: A borough with more than 20,000 people could be proclaimed a city . The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, so little distinction was made between the urban area and the local government area. New Zealand's local government structural arrangements were significantly reformed by the Local Government Commission in 1989 when approximately 700 councils and special purpose bodies were amalgamated to create 87 new local authorities. Regional councils were reduced in number from 20 to 13, territorial authorities (city/district councils) from 200 to 75, and special purpose bodies from over 400 to 7. The new district and city councils were generally much larger and most covered substantial areas of both urban and rural land. Many places that once had
160-407: A city council were now being administered by a district council. As a result, the term "city" began to take on two meanings. City also came to be used in a less formal sense to describe major urban areas independent of local body boundaries. This informal usage is jealously guarded. Gisborne, for example, adamantly described itself as the first city in the world to see the new millennium. Gisborne
200-577: A minor claim to being New Zealand's oldest city. Legal disputes over the powers that the Otago Provincial Council delegated to the newly formed Dunedin City Council in 1865, resulted in the central government stepping in and confirming its powers. Consequently, Dunedin City Council was the first council recognised in central government law. Furthermore, the central government passed legislation in 1868 to better regulate municipal councils across
240-702: A month later by the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 , however, the electorates of both "City of Auckland" and "City of Wellington" were carried forward to the first nationwide election of 1853 . The first municipal council to bear the title of "city council" was the Auckland City Council formed in 1854 by act of the Auckland Provincial Council . Following the election of an anti-taxation superintendent in March 1855, William Brown ,
280-465: A number of islands where the Minister of Local Government is the territorial authority, two of which have a 'permanent population and/or permanent buildings and structures.' The main islands are listed below (population according to 2001 census in parentheses): In addition, seven of the nine groups of the New Zealand outlying islands are outside of any territorial authority: Territorial authorities have
320-608: A region and a territorial authority. It incorporated the recommendations of the Royal Commission and was established via legislation. Auckland Council is uniquely divided into "local boards" representing the lowest tier of local government. Under the terms of the Local Government Act 2002 , district councils have to represent the interests of their future communities and consider the views of people affected by their decisions. To fulfill that requirement and give young people
360-568: A say in the decision-making process, many councils have a youth council. In late December 2023, the Ashburton District Council scrapped their youth council, stating they could engage better with younger people online and describing the current youth council as "a youth club where they ate pizza." In early January 2024, the Gore District Council opted to restructure its youth council and ruled out dismantling it. In April 2024,
400-456: A week. Its plan, which went to a Select Committee, accepted the proposal for supercity and many community boards, but rejected proposals for local councils and, initially, no separate seats for Māori . Public reaction to the Royal Commission report was mixed, especially in regards to the Government's amended proposal. Auckland Mayor John Banks supported the amended merger plans. Criticism of
440-421: Is administered by a district council, but its status as a city is not generally disputed. Under current law, an urban area has to be at least 50,000 residents before it can be officially proclaimed as a city. Since the 1989 reorganisations, there have been few major reorganisations or status changes in local government. Incomplete list: Reports on completed reorganisation proposals since 1999 are available on
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#1732858868704480-576: Is encompassed by. Existing cities are grandfathered under Schedule 2, Part 2 of the Act. The only new city council so far under this section is the Tauranga City Council , from 1 March 2004. Previously, under Section 37L of the Local Government Act 1974, new cities could only be formed from a "reorganisation scheme". The same criteria were used. The last city to be constituted under this section
520-412: Is similar to a unitary authority. Territorial authority districts are not subdivisions of regions, and some of them fall within more than one region. Regional council areas are based on water catchment areas, whereas territorial authorities are based on community of interest and road access. Regional councils are responsible for the administration of many environmental and public transport matters, while
560-516: Is thus some argument over which settlement was the first city in New Zealand. Traditionally in the United Kingdom (the former colonial power of New Zealand), city status is a special status granted by the monarch , usually by the issuing of letters patent . Between the 16th century and 1888 , city status was associated with the presence of a diocesan cathedral . In 1841 the Diocese of New Zealand
600-477: The Chatham Islands Council . District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer the larger urban areas . Five territorial authorities ( Auckland , Nelson , Gisborne , Tasman and Marlborough ) also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are unitary authorities . The Chatham Islands Council is a sui generis territorial authority that
640-427: The Local Government Act 1974 , for example Timaru . Other urban areas that are no longer cities, such as Rotorua and Whangārei , have higher populations than some present cities. The most recently proclaimed city is Tauranga , which became a city, for the second time, from 1 March 2004. Christchurch (1862 and 1868) and Invercargill (1930 and 1991) have also been declared cities more than once. Under Section 27 of
680-580: The Manawatū District to Palmerston North City. In 2017 the council voted to create a Māori ward , but the decision was overturned by a city-wide referendum in May 2018. In 2021, Palmerston North City Council again voted to establish a Māori ward following the passing of the Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2021 . The elected mayor and councillors provide governance for
720-736: The Whanganui District Council proposed scrapping its youth council by June 2024 as part of budget saving measures. There are currently 67 territorial authorities. Before the Auckland Council "super merge" in November 2010, there were 73 territorial authorities. Before the Banks Peninsula District Council merged with the Christchurch City Council in 2006, there were 74 territorial authorities. There are
760-512: The local government reforms of 1989 . Before the reforms, a borough that had a population of 20,000 or more could be proclaimed a city. The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, so there was little difference between the urban area and the local government area. In 1989, the structure of local government in New Zealand was significantly reorganised. Almost all the new district councils and city councils were much larger in land area, and they covered both urban land and
800-592: The town of Gisborne , for example, adamantly described itself as the first "city" in the world to see the new millennium. Gisborne is governed by a "district council", though its status as a city is not generally disputed in New Zealand. Similarly, there is no "city council" in Auckland , though its status as a city is not generally disputed due to its considerable size. Listed below are the large urban areas referred to colloquially as "cities". Statistics New Zealand creates standards for statistical geographic areas that are
840-572: The Auckland City Council was dissolved and formally disestablished 1856. A new Auckland City Council would be established in 1871, which was later was merged into Auckland Council in 2010. The Christchurch City Council was formed by an act of the Canterbury Provincial Council which received Royal assent on 31 January 1863. The council has been active since and is therefore the longest continuously operating city council in New Zealand. A legal oddity also provides Dunedin with
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#1732858868704880-482: The Local Government Act 2002, a district may become a city by either a "reorganisation scheme" with the Local Government Commission, or under Section 27(1) it may apply for a change in status under Schedule 3, Clause 7. The new city must have "a population of not less than 50,000 persons", be "predominantly urban" and "a distinct entity and a major centre of activity within the region " (or regions) that it
920-738: The Local Government Commission's site (link below). On 26 March 2009, the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance recommended the Rodney, North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland City, Manukau, Papakura and Franklin territorial councils and the Auckland Regional Council be abolished and the entire Auckland region to be amalgamated into one "supercity". The area would consist of one city council (with statutory provision for three Māori councillors), four urban local councils, and two rural local councils: The National-led Government responded within about
960-416: The act, and therefore the brief name change, did not apply to Dunedin, Dunedin City Council can claim to have the longest continuous use of the title "city council". The schedule of cities in New Zealand was brought under central government control in 1867, but continued to be sporadically applied. From 1886 the definition of a city was changed to any borough with a population of 20,000 or more. This value
1000-506: The amended proposal came largely from residents in Manukau, Waitakere and North Shore Cities. In addition, Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples spoke against the exclusion of the Māori seats, as recommended by the Royal Commission. Opposition Leader Phil Goff called for a referendum on the issue. Auckland Council was created on 1 November 2010—a unitary authority that is classed as both
1040-703: The basis for determining population figures. Statistics New Zealand announced in 2017 that the Statistical Standard for Geographic Areas 2018 (SSGA18) would replace the New Zealand Standard Areas Classification 1992 (NZSAC92). The change impacted Wellington most, by splitting it into four urban areas, being the Wellington city and Lower Hutt city "major urban areas" and Porirua and Upper Hutt "large urban areas". As defined by SSGA18, Wellington approximately halved in size, and Lower Hutt entered
1080-554: The city by setting the policy direction of the council, monitoring its performance, representing the city's interests, and employing the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive runs the everyday business of the council. The Chief Executive is currently Waid Crockett. Palmerston North City Council was granted an official Coat of Arms in 1989, incorporating elements of the council's previous unofficial coat of arms which had been in use since 1885. The arms contain several visual puns on
1120-406: The city rankings in sixth place between Tauranga and Dunedin. The table below contains all "major urban areas" (100,000 or more residents) and all "large urban areas" (30,000 to 99,999 residents). The urban area that will next move from the "medium urban area" category to the "large urban area" category is Paraparaumu (30,300). Functional urban areas (FUAs) are geographic areas which represent
1160-407: The country. Dunedin was already under the provisions and was therefore unaffected. The new act brought all other "city councils" in New Zealand under the central government regulations as "borough councils". The name change, however, was only due to an oversight in the language of the act and an amendment was made in November 1868 allowing some councils to revert to using the title of "city council". As
1200-443: The first woman and first Māori councillors to the city council. Following the local government reforms of 1989 , the city council's boundaries were again extended to include Ashhurst , Linton and Turitea through amalgamation of parts of the former Kairanga County, Oroua County and Ashhurst Town Council. On 1 July 2012, Bunnythorpe , Longburn , part of the area around Kairanga and an area around Ashhurst were transferred from
1240-412: The functional extent of major, large and medium urban areas, based on commuting patterns. Functional urban areas correspond to New Zealand's metropolitan areas . FUA populations are as at the 2018 Census. The populations given are the latest (June 2018) Statistics New Zealand estimated resident populations. Many cities were reorganised into districts by the Local Government Commission in 1989 under
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1280-522: The most recent elections having been held in 2022 . The current mayor is Grant Smith . Local Government in Palmerston North began with the formation of a town board and a local board within Wellington Province in 1876,. When the provinces were dissolved in 1876, Palmerston North became part of the newly established Manawatū County . An independent borough council for Palmerston North
1320-567: The name of the city. A description of the arms is: The flag of the Palmerston North City Council consists of the coat of arms on a white field. There have been suggestions to change the flag to better represent the city. Territorial authorities of New Zealand Territorial authorities ( Māori: mana ā-rohe ) are the second tier of local government in New Zealand , below regional councils . There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils , 53 district councils and
1360-401: The surrounding rural land. Many locations that once had a "city council" are now governed by a "district council". Since 2002, an urban area must have at least 50,000 residents to be proclaimed a city. The word city is used in a general sense to identify the urban areas of New Zealand , independent of local body boundaries. This informal usage is jealously guarded. The district government of
1400-409: The territorial authorities administer local roading and reserves, water supply and sanitation , building consents , the land use and subdivision aspects of resource management, and other local matters. Some activities are delegated to council-controlled organisations . The scope of powers is specified by the Local Government Act 2002 . For many decades until the local government reforms of 1989 ,
1440-537: Was Invercargill, which was re-reorganised into a city in 1991. In 1991, the Lower Hutt City Council became the Hutt City Council by a special Act of Parliament which did not change the name of the city of Lower Hutt ; the city's coat of arms still refers to the "City of Lower Hutt". Prior to 1876, there was no official definition of a city or uniform system of local authorities in New Zealand. There
1480-542: Was Nelson in 1858. Under the Provincial Councils Act 1851, the Governor had the right to establish electorates for provincial legislative councils. On 21 May 1852, Governor George Grey proclaimed electorates for New Ulster . Although the proclamation explicitly defined Auckland as a "town" for the purpose of property franchise , it later defined the electorate " City of Auckland ". This ambiguous proclamation
1520-469: Was established, based in Auckland, however no letters patent were ever issued. The Diocese of New Zealand was split in 1856 with the southern part becoming the Diocese of Christchurch . Christchurch was subsequently issued letters patent by Queen Victoria and became the "City of Christchurch". Despite the formation of other dioceses in New Zealand, the only other city to be subsequently issued letters patent
1560-742: Was proclaimed on 12 July 1877, splitting from Manawatū County. The first borough council consisted of nine councillors, and George Matthew Snelson was elected unopposed to be the first Mayor of Palmerston North on 9 August 1877. It went on to be raised to city-status on 11 August 1930, becoming New Zealand's 7th city. The boundaries of the city went on to be expanded to include parts of Awapuni (in April 1953), Highbury (in April 1961), and Amberley, Aokautere , Kelvin Grove , Milson and further parts of Awapuni (in September 1967). The local elections of 1962 returned
1600-444: Was the first official use of the term "city" in New Zealand legislation. The electorates of New Munster were also declared a short time later on 1 June. Likewise, Wellington was described as a town for property franchise, but more ambiguously established an electorate referred in different parts of the proclamation as either " City of Wellington " or "Town of Wellington". The provinces of New Ulster and New Munster were disestablished only
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