Counties of New Zealand

County
County
Category	County
Location	New Zealand
Created	1 November 1876;
Abolished	1989;

A system of counties of New Zealand was instituted after the country dissolved its provinces in 1876, and these counties were similar to other countries' systems, lasting with little change (except mergers and other localised boundary adjustments) until 1989, when they were reorganised into district and city councils within a system of larger regions.

History

The Counties Bill of 1876 was initiated to merge 314 road boards into 39 counties. However, as a result of lobbying, the number of counties had grown to 63 by the time the bill was enacted.^[1]

They had chairmen, not mayors as boroughs and cities had; many legislative provisions (such as burial and land subdivision control) were different for the counties. By 1966, there were 112 counties.^[2]

During the second half of the 20th century, many counties received overflow population from nearby cities. The result was often a merger of the two into a "district" (e.g., Rotorua) or a change of name to "district" (e.g., Waimairi) or "city" (e.g., Manukau).

The Local Government Act 1974 began the process of bringing urban, mixed, and rural councils into the same legislative framework. Substantial reorganisations under that Act resulted in the 1989 local government reforms, which covered the country in (non-overlapping) cities and districts and abolished all the counties except for the Chatham Islands County, which survived under that name for a further six years but then became a "territory" under the "Chatham Islands Council".

The term is perpetuated in the name "Counties-Manukau", which refers to areas of South Auckland and the Franklin District and adjoining districts, and is applied to bodies as diverse as football clubs and health providers.

List of counties

North Island map

North Island counties in 1937

South Island counties in 1937

South Island map

Collingwood
Takaka
Waimea
Marlborough
Buller
Awatere
Murchison
Inangahua
Amuri
Kaikoura
Grey
Cheviot
Waipara
Westland
Selwyn
Tawera
Oxford
Ashley
Kowai
Eyre
Rangiora
Malvern
Paparua
Waimairi
Christchurch
Halswell
Heathcote
Mt Herbert
Ashburton
Ellesmere
Springs
Wairewa
Akaroa
Mackenzie
Geraldine
Levels
Lake
Vincent
Waitaki
Waimate
Maniototo
Waihemo
Fiord
Wallace
Southland
Tuapeka
Taieri
Waikouaiti
Peninsula
Clutha
Bruce
Stewart Is

North Island Counties in 1981

South Island Counties in 1981

References

↑ "Abolition of the Provinces". An Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 1966. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
↑ NZART, counties map

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[1] "Abolition of the Provinces". An Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 1966. Retrieved 18 February 2011.

[2] NZART, counties map

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