Better Regional Boundaries Bill
Right now, different government departments and agencies use different geographic boundaries to organise their work around New Zealand. This means the lines on the map for, say, health services might not match the lines for other agencies in the same area. This bill would require all government agencies to use the same boundaries as each other and as local councils, as much as possible. They would have five years to make the switch. The idea is to make it simpler for people to access services and for agencies to work together in the same areas.
What this affects
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Government agencies would be required to use the same regional boundaries, which could make it easier for businesses and communities to deal with multiple agencies in the same area.
improve the effectiveness of public service agencies and Crown agents, and to improve the accessibility of certain public services, by requiring that administrative areas used by these agencies are consistent, to the greatest extent possible
It is further hoped that this will drive regional approaches, with shared hubs in small towns where departments work together at a single point of access to serve our communities.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Governance and Administration Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 23 June 2026.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.