Source: Federated Farmers of New ZealandFederated Farmers congratulates those councils that seized the chance to help steer local government reorganisation that works best for their districts and ratepayers. “Federated Farmers encouraged councils to put in high-level proposals before the 9 August ‘Head Start’ deadline. They include options for a significantly reduced number of new unitary councils, separated along metropolitan and provincial lines. Waikato Federated Farmers supports a disaggregated model with new unitary councils for the King Country and Waihou-Piako,” Faulkner says. “It is really positive so many rural councils have taken the initiative and proposed new unitary councils based off rural communities of interest.