The regions: crisis or opportunity?

The regions are back, big centralising government is out. (Image: Getty)

David Cunliffe, Kieran Brown, and Thomas Klotz

Wed, 06 Dec 2023

The next few years will be critical for New Zealand’s regions. Councils are facing massive rate hikes to cover the cost of infrastructure and are already in debt up to their eyeballs. They are sounding the alarm that they cannot cope without more government support. At the same time, the new government is promising to increase infrastructure investment and create a new type of “city deal” to empower the regions. But what are these city – or, more likely – regional deals? How will they work? Will the...

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