Councils To Decide Whether Northland's Local Government Proposal Moves ForwardThis is a joint media release from the four Northland councils. Under it, Whangarei and Kaipara district councils would initially combine into a single unitary authority, and Far North District Council would become a unitary authority on its own. Whangarei and Far North district councils will meet next week to decide whether to approve the proposal and submit it to the Government by 9 August. The Northland local government – a staged path to reform outline proposal has been published on the Far North District Council, Whangarei District Council, and Northland Regional Council websites. Key features of the proposalA staged transition to a single Northland unitary authority as the region's long-term governance model.