Statement on behalf of the Wellington Mayoral Forum
Issued by Andrew Little, Mayor of Wellington, on behalf of the Wellington Mayoral Forum, 11 Dec 2025
Wellington and Wairarapa mayors and the Greater Wellington Regional Council chair have agreed to work together on options for amalgamation in the region, responding to central government’s recent policy announcements about local government.
“We’ve seen many announcements from the Beehive recently about reorganising local government, from the proposed replacement of regional councillors with mayors, to prohibiting referenda, to rates caps, to RMA reform,” newly-elected chair of the Wellington Mayoral Forum Andrew Little said.
“It’s unclear how all these announcements will affect local democracy, services, Treaty of Waitangi obligations, fixing the pipes and the rates people pay. At a time when residents need certainty to help tackle the challenges facing the Wellington region, we do not have a clear enough picture of the path ahead.
“The economic and infrastructure issues facing Wellington and Wairarapa are too important to be left to chance, and local people should decide the future of their local governments.
“Crucially, this includes putting forward our own proposal for how any council amalgamation could be achieved.
“We already share a number of services regionally, including water and public transport. More can be done, which is why mayors are jointly committed to getting on with a plan to see what is workable,” Andrew Little said.
South Wairarapa Mayor Dame Fran Wilde, who was elected the Forum’s deputy chair, said it makes sense to scale up the region’s resolve to share services and take the lead on options for its future.
“That could mean more use of shared services, or some amalgamation in Wairarapa and some amalgamation in Wellington. It’s an issue we haven’t looked at in a decade and now is the time.
“What’s essential is we embrace change locally and give local residents a genuine say, rather than having a form of change imposed on us,” Dame Fran said.
The next step is Mayoral Forum members will seek a mandate from their respective councils in early 2026 to engage with all the political parties currently represented in Parliament, and to setup a project team to coordinate the work, which will include appropriate public consultation.
Background notes
The Wellington Mayoral Forum is made up of the mayors of Wellington City, Hutt City, Upper Hutt City, Porirua City, Kapiti Coast District, South Wairarapa District, Carterton and Masterton, as well as the Chair of Greater Wellington Regional Council.
At the recent local body elections voters in Hutt City and Porirua City voted to explore the possibility of amalgamation.