An unexpected law change has given a boost to a proposal to merge Northland's four councils into one.
The Local Government Commission (LGC) has proposed scrapping the Northland Regional Council and Whangarei, Far North and Kaipara district councils, replacing them with a single unitary authority based in Whangarei.
The proposed Northland Council would have seven boards to give each part of the region a voice and some decision-making powers.
Earlier this year nine out of 10 people who made submissions on the plan were opposed to the LGC's proposal. Reasons varied from worries about taking on Kaipara's debt or the Far North's crumbling infrastructure to fears of being dominated by Whangarei.
Some submitters said they would back the proposal if it called for local boards rather than community boards.