Territorial Authority 2017 (generalised version)

This dataset is the definitive set of territorial authority boundaries for 2017 as defined by the Local Government Commission and/or the territorial authorities themselves but maintained by Statistics New Zealand (the custodian). A territorial authority is defined under the Local Government Act 2002 as a city or a district council.
There are 67 territorial authorities in New Zealand. This total reflects the amalgamation of the seven territorial authorities (Rodney District, North Shore City, Waitakere City, Auckland City, Manukau City, Papakura District, and Franklin District) into one Auckland Council in 2010.
Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. The 67 territorial authorities comprise 13 city councils including the Auckland council, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Territory.
Some territorial authority boundaries are coterminous with regional council boundaries but there are several exceptions. An example is Taupo District, which is split between four regions, although most of its area falls within the Waikato Region. When defining the boundaries of territorial authorities, the Local Government Commission bases considerable weight on the ‘community of interest’.
Territorial authorities are defined at meshblock and area unit level.