Photo: Todd Sisson
With Government moving to simplify local government, significant change is coming for councils. The Otago Mayoral Forum undertook a survey, asking what is most important to people when it comes to local government reform.
More than 1800 people responded, with the key issues relating to a loss of identity and financial concerns. However, at a regional level more than one third of respondents commented with pro-reform sentiment.
The survey will help councils to better understand what is most important for the community in each area, and this will support any decision making as councils work collaboratively on what local government could look like in the future.
The Otago Mayoral Forum is the key mechanism for local authorities to communicate, coordinate and collaborate in the Otago region. Protocols for this purpose in each region are a requirement of the Local Government Act 2002.
The Forum enables Otago’s Mayors and the Chair of the Otago Regional Council to work together for the benefit of Otago. It meets quarterly to identify shared issues and opportunities, develop collaborative approaches, and review progress and achievements.
The Forum also provides a shared voice to advocate for Otago outside of the region, including with central government.
Sometimes this voice will present an agreed position, and at other times convey the different interests and viewpoints of the Forum’s members.
It’s important to know that decisions of the Forum are not binding on member councils. Forum members may choose to refer regional issues and decisions to their councils for consideration.
The Otago Local Authorities’ Triennial Agreement 2026-29 was ratified in February 2026, and formalises the Forum's role within Otago's cross-council partnership framework.
The Forum’s members are the region’s five Mayors and the Chair of the Otago Regional Council. Local authority chief executives attend Mayoral Forum meetings to support their Mayor/Chair and to assist the Forum to take forward its decisions and directions.
The Forum is supported by a permanent secretariat hosted by Otago Regional Council. The secretariat also manages and advises the Otago Chief Executives Forum, which meets two to four weeks prior to each Mayoral Forum.
Where relevant, cross-council working groups may be set up under the umbrella of the Forum to progress an issue or opportunity, or simply to share information across Otago’s local authorities.
Latest Updates
View all
Media release
22 June 2026
Affordable rates, quality services and infrastructure, and keeping decisions local were among the top priorities identified by respondents to a survey on local government reform.
Media release
26 May 2026
Otago residents will get the opportunity to share their views on local government reform as councils work collaboratively on what this could look like for the region in the future.
Meeting
22 May 2026
At its May meeting in Queenstown, the Otago Mayoral Forum committed to a collaborative approach to understanding the options for local government reorganisation in Otago. Members also agreed to develop a coordinated Otago economic narrative and endorsed an approach to regional spatial planning.
