Information for councils: Preparing to submit a proposal
This page contains information for councils about how to prepare to submit a light-touch proposal for City and Regional Deals.
Key deadlines
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Milestone |
Date |
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Regions confirm intent to submit a light-touch proposal |
18 December 2024 |
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Regions submit light-touch proposals |
28 February 2025 |
Register your region’s intent to submit a proposal
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Registration form (DOCX, 48KB)
All regions should now have registered their intent to submit a light-touch proposal. Proposals will only be accepted from regions that have registered. If the council grouping that you originally registered with us has changed, please re-submit a new registration form to RegionalDeals@dia.govt.nz with the updated details and the reason for the change.
Regions must include one regional council and regional councils may choose to participate in more than one council grouping.
Please note that ‘regions’ in the context of Regional Deals could be regional, sub-regional or another appropriate scale, so long as they are defined economic and geographic areas with functional local authorities. A region must comprise two or more district or city councils, including their relative regional council, except for Auckland Council who may choose to form a region alone or with other councils.
Submit your light-touch proposal
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Light-touch proposal application form (DOCX, 88KB)
Work together with other councils on your light-touch proposal and projects/initiatives you want to propose as part of a regional deal. Submit one light-touch proposal only per region by 28 February 2025 using the light-touch proposal application form provided to you (also above). The proposal should be approved by all councils included in the proposal.
Please note: The Department of Internal Affairs acknowledges information it receives in this template may include confidential information of the applicant, including commercially sensitive information. The Department will keep the information confidential, unless obliged to disclose it (such as by law under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA)), or until it no longer remains confidential (such as being in the public arena generally). Where a relevant OIA request is received, the Department will consult with councils.
What to include in your proposal
The light-touch proposal application form provides information about what to include in your proposal.
Light-touch in the context of your proposal means that you should provide brief answers to the questions provided in the template. You are not required or encouraged to submit a full business case or deal proposition at the proposal stage; this work will progressed. You are also encouraged to not use external consultants or to prepare detailed supporting information to complete the light-touch proposal.
Each regional deal will be bespoke to the specific opportunities in your region. All proposals should reflect the Regional’s 30-year vision and projects for the first 10 years should help to achieve that vision.
Your proposal should outline the economic objectives and project outcomes that your region proposes to deliver. It should also include what actions your region will take to unlock or enable growth, and what policy, legislative or other actions your region needs from central government to assist in achieving the objectives of the regional deals strategic framework.
Your proposal should also demonstrate how each project or initiative connects to other projects and how they link with other government priorities, such as Local Water Done Well.
A maximum of five projects or initiatives will be considered as part of a deal. In this context, a project is an activity that addresses a problem or realises an opportunity in the region and has a funding plan or pathway. It implements one or more of the priority objectives in the regional deals strategic framework and its outcomes contribute to the region's 30-year vision.
How proposals will be assessed
Te Tari Taiwhenua is the secretariat for the City and Regional Deals programme and is leading the light-touch proposal assessment process.
On receipt, we will check each proposal to ensure it is from a registered region, and that you have completed all sections of the light-touch proposal application form. At this stage we will also determine if we need to seek any targeted agency or subject matter expert advice to support the assessment of each proposal.
An assessment panel will individually read and assess each proposal, then consider each proposal as a group. We may seek further input from regions, agencies or subject matter experts during this process.
The results of the assessment will be provided to Ministers for consideration. Cabinet will decide which regions progress towards a deal.
Light-touch proposal assessment criteria
Proposals will be assessed against the criteria outlined in the Regional Deals Strategic Framework, summarised below.
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Is the light-touch proposal aligned with the Regional Deals Strategic Framework?
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How strong and effective are the local and central government partnerships?
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Is there capacity, capability and readiness to deliver?
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Is the proposition economically and financially feasible?
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The assessment will also take into account what your region is contributing to the deal and what you are asking central government to contribute to the deal.
For more information
For further questions, please contact your Department of Affairs (DIA) Partnership Director or email us at RegionalDeals@dia.govt.nz.
