(B) A North Canterbury Unitary Council

Waimakariri would join with Hurunui and Kaikōura to form a single council for North Canterbury, taking on both local and regional council responsibilities.

What works in its favour

• Keeps decision-making closer to home

Councillors would represent communities with similar rural, provincial and small-town interests, helping ensure decisions reflect local needs.

• Maintains North Canterbury identity

This option aligns with how many residents already see their community—connected across North Canterbury rather than centred on Christchurch.

• Builds on existing collaboration

Councils in North Canterbury already work together and share services such as engineering design, procurement and elements of water delivery. A unitary council would formalise this and build on what is already working well.

• Better alignment of planning and service delivery

Combining regional and local functions could make it easier to coordinate infrastructure, environmental management and growth planning across the area.

• Stronger regional collaboration on shared services

A North Canterbury unitary council could coordinate more closely with central agencies like NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and national environmental regulators, while also expanding existing shared services (such as advocacy, emergency management and public transport) across the wider Canterbury area.

• More control over priorities

Investment decisions would be made within North Canterbury, rather than competing with the wider Christchurch metropolitan area.

Challenges and risks

• Smaller scale

While larger than we are now, a North Canterbury council would still be relatively small compared to a metro model, which may limit some efficiencies or funding opportunities (if you consider bigger is better).

• Balancing different communities

Ensuring fairness across Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikōura—particularly between growth areas and smaller rural communities—would be important.

• Proving the benefits

Any proposal would need to clearly demonstrate it delivers better outcomes, not just a structural change.