PremiumOpinionOpinion byNick ClarkNZ Herald·3 Jun, 2026 09:00 PM5 mins to readNick Clark - is a senior fellow at the New Zealand InitiativeOver the past 40 years, New Zealand has repeatedly consolidated local government structures in pursuit of efficiency. Photo / Getty ImagesFor 40 years, New Zealanders have been told that fewer councils mean better government, and for 40 years, the evidence has refused to oblige.
Until 1989, New Zealand had about 850 elected local government bodies. Councils sat alongside elected water catchment boards, pest destruction boards, harbour boards, drainage boards and
