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Map of New Zealand territorial authorities. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The politics of New Zealand takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Monarchy. The constitution of New Zealand consists of a collection of statutes ( Acts of Parliament) Treaties Orders-in-Council, Letters patent, decisions of the In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. TalkCommonewalth realm.--> New Zealand For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Governor-General of New Zealand (Te Kawana Tianara o Aotearoa is the representative of the Sovereign in right of New Zealand (currently Queen Anand "Satch" Satyanand, PCNZM, QSO (born 22 July 1944) is the Governor-General of New Zealand. The Executive Council of New Zealand is the body which legally serves the functions of the Cabinet. The New Zealand Cabinet functions as the policy and decision-making body of the Executive branch within the New Zealand government system The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's Head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950 is the 37th and current Prime Minister of New Zealand. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and until 1951 the New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand House of Representatives is the Legislature of New Zealand. In New Zealand the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body the New Zealand House of Representatives Margaret Wilson (born 20 May 1947) a New Zealand politician currently serves as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives. The Official Opposition in New Zealand is usually the largest Political party or coalition which is not a member of the ruling Government. The Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand is the politician who at least in theory commands the support of the non-government bloc of members in the New Zealand John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand politician and member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, representing Members of New Zealand 's House of Representatives, commonly called " Parliament " normally gain their parliamentary seats through nationwide general In 1993 New Zealand adopted Mixed member proportional as its electoral system for the House of Representatives after many years of First-past-the-post In New Zealand, an electorate is a voting district for Parliamentary elections Referendums (or referenda) are held only occasionally by the government of New Zealand. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State The Supreme Court of New Zealand is the highest court in the land and the Court of last resort in New Zealand, having formally come into existence at the beginning The Chief Justice of New Zealand is the head of the New Zealand judiciary and presides over the Supreme Court of New Zealand. Dame Sian Seerpoohi Elias, GNZM, QC (born March 13 1949) is the Chief Justice of New Zealand, and is therefore the most The Court of Appeal of New Zealand, located in Wellington, is New Zealand ’s principal intermediate Appellate court. The High Court of New Zealand was established in 1841 and known as the Supreme Court until 1980 The District Courts of New Zealand ( Māori: Ngā Kōti ā Rōhe) are low-level Trial courts in New Zealand. The Māori Land Court ( Māori: Te Kooti Whenua Māori) is the specialist court in New Zealand that hears matters relating to Māori land The region is the top tier of Local government in New Zealand. See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions The following is a list of New Zealand Politicians, both past and present New Zealand national politics feature a pervasive Party system. This page lists a number of articles relating to issues ideas and events in New Zealand politics. Māori politics is the Politics of the Māori people who were the original inhabitants of New Zealand and who are now the country's largest minority The foreign relations of New Zealand are oriented chiefly toward developed democratic nations and emerging Pacific economies Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Cities are bolded and capitalised. Regions are indicated with colours.

Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The region is the top tier of Local government in New Zealand. There are 73 territorial authorities: 16 city councils, 57 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council. After the local government reforms of 1989 the term "city" began to take on two meanings in New Zealand. The Archipelago of the Chatham Islands ( Rekohu in the Moriori language and Wharekauri in the Māori language) is a territory Five territorial authorities (Nelson City Council, Gisborne, Tasman, and Marlborough District Councils and the Chatham Islands Council) also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are known as unitary authorities. History Early settlement Settlement of Nelson began about 1100 years ago by Māori For other uses of Gisborne see Gisborne (disambiguation. Gisborne (Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa is the name of a unitary authority in New Zealand Coverage Tasman District is a large area at the top western side of the South Island of New Zealand Geography Marlborough's geography can be roughly divided into four sections See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions Territorial authority districts are not subdivisions of regions, and some of them fall within more than one region. Franklin District, for example, falls partly within the Auckland Region, partly within the Waikato Region. Geography On the mainland the region extends from the mouth of the Kaipara Harbour in the north across the southern stretches of the North Auckland Peninsula The Taupo District, however, is the only one that lies within four Regions (see below). The Taupo District Council is a local council located in the Central North Island of New Zealand. Regional Council areas are based on catchment areas, whereas territorial authorities are based on an area with sufficient ratepayers and community of interest. A catchment is any device or structure that captures Water. Regional councils are responsible for the administration of many environmental and public transport matters, while the territorial authorities that administer local roading and reserves, sewerage, building consents, the land use and subdivision aspects of resource management, and other local matters.

Territorial authorities

North Island

South Island

Stewart Island/Rakiura

• Southland Regional Council (Environment Southland)
  • Southland District Council

Chatham Islands

• Chatham Islands Council ("Territory")

Other islands

There are 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. Southland (Murihiku is the name of New Zealand 's southernmost region and is also the name of a district within that region The Archipelago of the Chatham Islands ( Rekohu in the Moriori language and Wharekauri in the Māori language) is a territory The Archipelago of the Chatham Islands ( Rekohu in the Moriori language and Wharekauri in the Māori language) is a territory ' The main islands are listed below (population according to 2001 census in parenthesis):

• Mayor Island/Tuhua (3)
• Motiti Island (30)
• White Island
• Moutohora Island
• Bare Island

In addition, seven of the nine groups of the New Zealand Outlying Islands are outside of any territorial authority:

• Kermadec Islands (3)
• Three Kings Islands
• Bounty Islands
• The Snares
• Antipodes Islands
• Auckland Islands
• Campbell Islands

(the Chatham Islands form a special territorial authority themselves, while the Solander Islands are part of Southland Region and Southland District)

1989 local government reforms

For many decades until the local government reforms of 1989, a borough with more than 20,000 people could be proclaimed a city. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population Mayor Island (or Tuhua) is located off the Bay of Plenty coast of New Zealand 's North Island. Motiti Island is located off the Bay of Plenty coast of New Zealand 's North Island. White Island can refer to In Europe: ( White Island) Eilean Bàn, Scotland ( White Island) Kvitøya, Norway The New Zealand outlying islands comprise nine island groups from the Subtropics to the Subantarctic that are part of New Zealand but lie outside of the Kermadec Islands are an Island arc in the South Pacific Ocean. The Three Kings Islands ( Manawa-tawhi or Ngā Motu Karaka in Māori) are a group of The Bounty Islands at are a small group of 13 Granite islets and numerous rocks with a combined area of 135 ha, in the south Pacific Ocean which The Snares (also known as Tini Heke and unofficially as Snares Islands) is a small island group at approximately 200 kilometres south of New Zealand The Antipodes Islands (from Greek αντίποδες - Antipodes) are inhospitable volcanic islands to the south of—and territorially The Auckland Islands ( Motu Maha) ( form an archipelago of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands and include the following Auckland Island, Adams The Campbell Island group (or Campbell Islands) is a group of Sub-Antarctic Islands belonging to New Zealand. The Archipelago of the Chatham Islands ( Rekohu in the Moriori language and Wharekauri in the Māori language) is a territory The Solander Islands are a small chain of uninhabited volcanic islets lying at, close to the western end of the Southland (Murihiku is the name of New Zealand 's southernmost region and is also the name of a district within that region After the local government reforms of 1989 the term "city" began to take on two meanings in New Zealand. 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 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. ^[1] 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 a city council were now being administered by a district council.

As a result, the term "city" began to take on two meanings.

The word "city" 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 is administered by a district council, but its status as a city is not generally disputed.

Under the current law the minimum population for a new city is 50,000.

Changes since 1989

Since the 1989 reorganisations conducted by the Local Government Commission, there have been few major reorganisations or status changes in local government. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The Local Government Commission is an independent statutory body established under the Local Government Act 2002 in New Zealand. Incomplete list:

• 1991: Invercargill re-proclaimed a city. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Invercargill ( Waihōpai in Māori) is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world
• 1992: (by a Local Government Amendment Act) Abolition of Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council – Kaikoura District was transferred to the Canterbury Region, and Nelson City and Tasman and Marlborough districts became unitary authorities. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions
• 1995: The Chatham Islands County was dissolved and reconstituted, by a specific Act of Parliament, as the "Chatham Islands Territory" with powers similar to those of territorial authorities and some functions similar to those of a regional council. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Archipelago of the Chatham Islands ( Rekohu in the Moriori language and Wharekauri in the Māori language) is a territory The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and until 1951 the New Zealand Legislative Council ^[2]
• 2004: Tauranga became a city again on 1 March. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant
• 2006: Banks Peninsula District merged into Christchurch City as a result of 2005 referendum. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

During 2006 and 2007 there have been moves to propose radical alterations in the Auckland region.

Reports on completed reorganisation proposals since 1999 are available on the Local Government Commission's site (link below).

Foot notes

See also

• Local Government Act 1974 (NZ)
• Local Government Act 2002 (New Zealand)
• Regions of New Zealand
• List of cities in New Zealand

External links and sources

• Local Councils website (maintained by the Department of Internal Affairs)
• Local Government Services at the Department of Internal Affairs site (includes the Local Government Directory at the bottom of the page)
  • Administration of Offshore Islands
• Local Government Commission site
• Local Government Online Limited site (portal site owned by the Society of Local Government Managers and the Association of Local Government Information Management)
• Local Government New Zealand region and district boundaries – North Island
• Local Government New Zealand region and district boundaries – South Island
• Statistics New Zealand clickable map for local body and area unit detail over all NZ