South Wairarapa District Council elected members have majority voted to submit a proposal for a Wellington-Wairarapa Unitary Authority as part of the Governments Head Start pathway. This pathway allows Councils to work together to submit proposals for amalgamation into a unitary authority.

Members considered a number of options, including establishing a Wairarapa Unitary Authority or taking no action and allowing the Government to make decisions through the “Backstop” process. The vote was six in favour of the Wellington-Wairarapa option, and four in favour of Wairarapa.

Mayor Fran Wilde said the decision was one of the most significant that elected members would face and that it was disappointing that the decision had been forced on them with such a short timeframe.

Affordability, local voice and long-term sustainability were some of the key considerations elected members approached their decisions with – you can listen in on our YouTube channel: Council Extraordinary Meeting – 5 August 2026

Mayor Wilde has now been given authority to work with the chair of the Wellington Region Mayoral Forum to further develop the Wairarapa-Wellington unitary option that includes South Wairarapa, ahead of the proposal deadline of this Sunday, August 9.

We recognise that this decision will generate a range of views within our community and we will continue to keep you informed about the proposal outcome and next steps.

You can find the meeting agenda, decision report and supporting information on our website: https://swdc.govt.nz/meeting/council-5-august-2026/