User:Generalissima/Districts of New Zealand

The districts of New Zealand are territorial authorities governed by district councils as a second-tier of local government, below regions and their regional councils. They were formed as a result of local government reforms in 1989. There are 53 districts in New Zealand. This does not include the other forms of territorial authority, namely the 12 city councils, the Auckland Council, and the Chatham Islands Council. District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer larger urban areas. Three districts (Gisborne, Tasman, and Marlborough) are unitary authorities also performing the functions of a regional council.

Districts are not subdivisions of regions, and some of them fall within more than one region. Taupō District has the distinction of straddling the boundaries of four different regions. Regional council areas are based on water catchment areas, whereas district council areas are based on community of interest and road access. Regional councils are responsible for the administration of many environmental and public transport matters, while the district councils administer local roads and reserves, sewerage, building consents, the land use and subdivision aspects of resource management, and other local matters. Some activities are delegated to council-controlled organisations.

Former districts
Four districts created in the 1989 reforms no longer exist. In 2006, the Banks Peninsula District was merged into the city of Christchurch. In 2010, Auckland Region was converted into a unitary authority under the jurisdiction of the Auckland Council. Two of the three districts within the region were completely annexed by Auckland. The other, Franklin District, was split between Auckland and the adjacent districts of Waikato and Hauraki.