About us
We are passionate about making the Horizons Region a better place for everyone, both now and into the future. We work with partners and other agencies to protect the health of the environment across the region to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for all of us.
What we do
Regional councils are responsible for the functions best delivered at a regional scale, including:
managing natural resources such as water, soil, air, geothermal areas and coasts
planning regional transport and providing public transport services
protecting and restoring indigenous biodiversity
controlling harmful plant and animal pests
providing flood protection and drainage schemes
keeping water users safe
responding to pollution incidents
helping communities prepare for civil defence emergencies and coordinating responses when disasters occur.
Biodiversity and Biosecurity
Control of pest species, prevention of biosecurity incursions, and protection of iconic natural sites.
Environmental data
Gathering and delivering environmental information which enables our region to grow economically and socially in a sustainable way.
Transport
Getting people from A to B through public transport services and a coordinated approach to regional transport planning.
River Management
Management and maintenance of drains, stopbanks, floodgates and more which help to mitigate the impact of flooding.
Consents and Compliance
Processing and monitoring of resource consents to ensure sustainable resource use for current and future generations.
Science
Informing evidence-based decision making through the provision of information and technical advice.
Emergency Management
Providing regional advice and direction to councils and agencies in our region to help to create coordinated responses to emergencies.
Freshwater and Partnerships
Working with landowners, iwi and hapū, councils, community groups and other partners to improve water quality and aquatic habitats.
District Advice
Giving information and advice on natural hazards and One Plan requirements for property developments, property purchases, insurance matters and land valuation assessments.
Policy and strategy
Providing strategic advice, assessing environmental policy, helping farmers through rural advice, and building iwi and hapū relationships.
Our history
We were created in 1989, when Manawatu Wanganui Regional Council (as we were called back then) was established as part of widespread local government reform in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The 1989 reform programme was a continuation of the evolution of local and provincial governance in Aotearoa New Zealand since colonisation. The Counties Act 1876 created 63 counties, with many new bodies set up in the decades since. Some of those bodies had singular purposes (e.g. harbour boards). The Local Government Act 1974 removed the distinction between urban authorities (boroughs and towns) and rural authorities (counties), and enabled the creation of regional councils.
Regional councils were created during the 1989 reforms, amalgamating catchment boards, drainage boards, pest destruction boards, united councils and noxious plant authorities into singular entities. These amalgamations happened across the motu (country), turning about 850 local bodies into 86 local authorities. A transitional committee was appointed to guide the amalgamation work for the region, which was based at the offices of the Manawatu Catchment Board.
We have had multiple names across our lifetime. We changed our trading name in 1999 to horizons.mw, then changed again in 2003 to Horizons Regional Council. The official name of the region was corrected in 2019 to Manawatū-Whanganui Region, meaning our official name became Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Council. However, we continue to trade as Horizons Regional Council.