A district in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

is a territorial authority area governed by a district council as a second-tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. They were formed as a result of the local government reforms in 1989. There are 53 districts in

, and they do not include the 12

city councils A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural coun ...

, the

Auckland Council Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a ...

, and the

Chatham Islands Council The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about t ...

. District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer the larger

urban areas An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

. Three districts ( Gisborne,

Tasman Tasman most often refers to Abel Tasman (1603–1659), Dutch explorer. Tasman may also refer to: Animals and plants * Tasman booby * Tasman flax-lily * Tasman parakeet (disambiguation) * Tasman starling * Tasman whale People * Tasman (n ...

, and Marlborough) are

unitary authorities A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governme ...

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 Taupō District is a territorial authority district in New Zealand. It covers 6,333 km² of land, and a further 610 km² of lake area, including Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, and Lake Rotoaira. The district stretches from the ...

has the distinction of straddling the boundaries of four different regions. Regional council areas are based on water

catchment A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

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. NZ Regional Councils and Territorial Authorities 2017

NZ Regional Councils and Territorial Authorities 2017

Districts

There are currently 53 districts in

North Island (34)

The

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

comprises 34 districts.

Northland Region (3)

* Far North District *

Kaipara District The Kaipara District is located in the Northland Region in northern New Zealand. History Kaipara District was formed through the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms and was constituted on 1 November 1989. It was made up of five former bo ...

* Whangarei District

Waikato Region (7)

* Hauraki District * Matamata-Piako District * Otorohanga District * South Waikato District * Thames-Coromandel District * Waikato District * Waipa District

Bay of Plenty Region (4)

* Kawerau District * Ōpōtiki District * Western Bay of Plenty District * Whakatane District

Hawke's Bay Region (3)

Central Hawke's Bay District Central Hawke's Bay District is part of the Hawke's Bay Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Formed in 1989, it has an area of 3,333 square kilometres with a population of It had a population of 12,717 people as of the 2013 census. This is ...

Hastings District Hastings is a town in the United Kingdom, most famous for the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Hastings may also refer to: Places Australia * Hastings, Tasmania, a locality * Hastings, Victoria, Australia ** Electoral district of Hastings, Victoria, ...

Wairoa District Wairoa District is a Territorial authority district in the North Island of New Zealand. The Wairoa District Council is headquartered in the largest town, Wairoa. The district falls within the Hawke's Bay Region. The district has an area of 4 ...

Taranaki Region (2)

New Plymouth District The New Plymouth District is one of the districts of New Zealand within Taranaki. It includes the city of New Plymouth and smaller towns such as Inglewood, Ōakura and Waitara. In 1989, as a part of New Zealand-wide reorganisation of local gove ...

* South Taranaki District

Manawatū-Whanganui Region (4)

Horowhenua District Horowhenua District is a territorial authority district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, administered by Horowhenua District Council. Located north of Wellington and Kapiti, it stretches from slightly north of the town of ...

* Manawatu District *

Ruapehu District Ruapehu District is a territorial authority in the centre of New Zealand's North Island. It has an area of 6,734 square kilometers and the district's population in was . Features The district is landlocked, and contains the western half of the ...

* Whanganui District

Wellington Region (4)

Carterton District Carterton ( mi, Taratahi) is a small town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Carterton District (a territorial authority or local government district). It lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Isl ...

Kapiti Coast District The Kapiti Coast District is a local government district of the Wellington Region in the lower North Island of New Zealand, 50 km north of Wellington City. The district is named after Kapiti Island, a prominent island offshore. The popu ...

Masterton District Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

* South Wairarapa District

Transregional districts (6)

* Rangitikei District (Manawatū-Whanganui: 86.37%; Hawke's Bay: 13.63%) *

Rotorua Lakes District Rotorua Lakes District or Rotorua District is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority district in the North Island of New Zealand. It has one urban area of significant size, the city of Rotorua. The district is governed b ...

(Bay of Plenty: 61.52%; Waikato: 38.48%) * Stratford District (Taranaki: 68.13%; Manawatū-Whanganui: 31.87%) *

Tararua District The Tararua District is a district near the south-east corner of New Zealand's North Island that is administered by the Tararua District Council. It has a population of and an area of 4,364.65 km². The Tararua District Council was created ...

(Manawatū-Whanganui: 98.42%; Wellington: 1.58%) *

(Waikato: 73.74%; Bay of Plenty: 14.31%; Hawke's Bay: 11.26%; Manawatū-Whanganui: 0.69%) * Waitomo District (Waikato: 94.87%; Manawatū-Whanganui: 5.13%)

Unitary authority (1)

* Gisborne District

South Island (19)

The

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

and

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, 'Aurora, glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total ...

comprise 19 districts.

West Coast Region (3)

* Buller District * Grey District *

Westland District Westland District is a territorial authority district on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is administered by the Westland District Council. The district's population is History Westland was originally a part of Canterbury P ...

Canterbury Region (8)

Ashburton District Ashburton District is a territorial authority district in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It encompasses the town of Ashburton, a number of small towns and settlements and the surrounding rural area, roughly coterminou ...

Hurunui District Hurunui District is a territorial local government district within the Canterbury Region on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, north of Christchurch. It stretches from the east coast to the Main Divide. Its land area is . Local gove ...

* Kaikōura District * Mackenzie District * Selwyn District * Timaru District * Waimakariri District * Waimate District

Otago Region (3)

Central Otago District Central Otago District is local government district in New Zealand. It is administered by the Central Otago District Council and it is in the Otago region, the top tier of local government in New Zealand. The major towns in the district are Alex ...

* Clutha District *

Queenstown-Lakes District Queenstown-Lakes District, a local government district, is in the Otago Region of New Zealand that was formed in 1986. It is surrounded by the districts of Central Otago, Southland, Westland and Waitaki. Much of the area is often referred to a ...

Southland Region (2)

* Gore District * Southland District

Transregional district (1)

Waitaki District Waitaki District is a territorial authority district that is located in the Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It straddles the traditional border between the two regions, the Waitaki River, and its seat is Oamaru. ...

(Canterbury: 59.61%; Otago: 40.39%)

Unitary authorities (2)

* Marlborough District *

Tasman District Tasman District () is a local government district in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It borders the Canterbury Region, West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and Nelson City. It is administered by the Tasman District Council, ...

Notes: * Kaikōura District was transferred from the Nelson-Marlborough Region to the

Canterbury Region Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current f ...

in 1992. *The

Banks Peninsula District The Banks Peninsula District is a former territorial authority in New Zealand. Banks Peninsula District was formed through the 1989 local government reforms. It amalgamated with the Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council i ...

became a part of

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

as a result of 2005 referendum. * Franklin District,

Papakura District Papakura District was a local council territory in New Zealand's Auckland Region that was governed by the Papakura District Council from 1989 until 2010. The area makes up the southernmost part of the Auckland metropolitan area. The area was ...

, and Rodney District no longer exist as of 2010. They became part of other districts and the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containin ...

References

External links

Regional and district boundaries (North Island)Regional and district boundaries (South Island)District councils in New Zealand
{{Territorial Authorities of New Zealand Districts, New Zealand