​CODC and CDC put forward Head Start proposal

Central Otago District Council and Clutha District Council have jointly submitted a Head Start proposal to Government, proposing a new provincial council bringing together Central Otago, Clutha, and Queenstown Lakes districts.

The proposal is built around the connections already shared across the three districts.

All three sit within the Mata-Au/Clutha catchment, New Zealand's highest-volume river, and are linked by shared transport corridors, labour markets and economic ties that are already the focus of ongoing Otago Central Lakes Regional Deal negotiations.

Community councils with defined rating powers are central to the proposal.

These would give communities decision-making power over local priorities, while regional functions such as infrastructure, planning and environmental management would be delivered at a provincial scale.

Government is expected to decide in September which proposals will proceed.