Alternatives to Amalgamation in Australian Local Government: Lessons from the New Zealand Experience

Amalgamation has traditionally represented the most important instrument of local government reform in Australia. However, over the recent past large sections of the Australian local government community have begun to question not only the economic outcomes of council mergers, but also their divisive social effects and adverse impact on local democracy. Across Australia, municipal councils have begun developing alternative models of local governance that seek to achieve more efficient local service provision without the ill effects of amalgamation. In many respects New Zealand local government has already undergone a similar process. This paper examines the New Zealand experience and attempts to draw lessons for Australian local government reform.