Counties of New Zealand

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A system of counties of New Zealand was instituted after the country dissolved its provinces in 1876, and these counties were similar to other countries' systems, lasting with little change (except mergers and other localised boundary adjustments) until 1989, when they were reorganised into district and city councils within a system of larger regions.

History

The Counties Bill of 1876 was initiated to merge 314 road boards into 39 counties. However, as a result of lobbying, the number of counties had grown to 63 by the time the bill was enacted.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Counties were required to adopt the third schedule of the act and establish a permanent council, those that did not went into abeyance.<ref name="bloomfield"/>Template:RP

The Town Districts Act 1881 was created to allow a way for urban areas to go from county governance to borough. Of the 15 town districts in the Auckland region 12 went on to become boroughs, with 2 being dissolved and only 1 remaining as a town district. In 1908 the Town Boards Act allowed for independent town districts to be established with all but 2 of the Auckland region town districts taking on independent governance.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Template:AnchorThe Counties Act 1949 allowed for counties to establish county towns.<ref name="bloomfield">Template:Cite book</ref> A county town could be established in an urban area with a population of at least 200 residents or 60 dwellings at a density of 1 person per acre or 1 dwelling per 3 acres. County town committees could then be formed and these could serve in an advisory role to the county council.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopaedia</ref>

Counties had chairmen, not mayors as boroughs and cities had; many legislative provisions (such as burial and land subdivision control) were different for the counties.Template:Cn By 1966, there were 112 counties.<ref>NZART, counties map</ref>

The Local Government Act 1974 began the process of bringing urban, mixed, and rural councils into the same legislative framework. Substantial reorganisations under that Act resulted in the 1989 local government reforms, which covered the country in (non-overlapping) cities and districts and abolished all the counties except for the Chatham Islands County, which survived under that name for a further six years but then became a "territory" under the Chatham Islands Council.Template:Cn