Otago Regional Council (ORC) is the regional council for Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. The council's principal office is the Aonui Head Office on High Street in Dunedin, with smaller offices in Queenstown and Alexandra. They are responsible for sustainably managing Otago's natural resources of land, air and water on behalf of the community. Property owners pay rates to both the local and regional councils (e.g. the Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council).
Composition The Otago Regional Council consists of 12 members elected from 4 constituencies. Dunedin (5), Dunstan (4), Molyneux (2) and Moeraki (1). +Members of the Otago Regional Council (following 2025 election)NameAffiliationConstituencyFirst electedNotesRobbie Byars ACT LocalMolyneux2025Hilary Calvert Vision OtagoDunedin2022, 2025Incumbent chair and previously served on the Council between 2019 and 2022. Neil Gillespie IndependentDunstan2025Former deputy mayor of the Central Otago District Council.Chanel Gardner IndependentDunedin2025Matt Hollyer IndependentDunstan2025Gary Kelliher Vision OtagoDunstan2013, 2019Lost seat in 2016Michael Laws Vision OtagoDunstan2016Kevin Malcolm Independent Moeraki2019Deputy Chair (2025–)Andrew Noone IndependentDunedin2016Gretchen Robertson IndependentDunedin2004Chairperson (2022–2025)Alan Somerville GreenDunedin2022Kate Wilson IndependentMolyneux2019
Otago regional councillors are elected for three-year terms. The 2025 election saw the return of Hilary Calvert under the Vision Otago ticket, and the election of four new councillors: ACT Local candidate Robbie Byars and independent candidates Chanel Gardner, Matt Hollyer, and Neil Gillespie.
Constituencies +ConstituencyPopulationDescription / NotesDunedin110,000As of 2019, Dunedin remains by far the largest in terms of population with approx. 110,800 people living inside of its boundaries as of 2019 which covers Central Dunedin, Saddle Hill and the Otago Peninsula with 6 representatives total (about half of the total council).Dunstan57,000Dunstan consists of the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago districts with a total population of approximately 57,400 as of 2019 and 3 councillors.Molyneux35,000Molyneux consists of the Clutha District territorial area, and Mosgiel-Taieri with a population of ~35,000 as of 2019 and 2 councillors.Moeraki20,400Moeraki covers a portion of the Waitaki District and significantly both the Oamaru and Waihemo wards, and part of the Corriedale and Ahuriri wards, with a population of 20,400 as of 2019 and 1 councillors. Kevin Malcolm who was elected unanimously in 2022 due to a lack of opposing candidates.
Responsibilities The responsibilities of the Otago Regional Council are the same as other Regional Councils in New Zealand, but for the Otago region. The responsibilities include:
Protecting Otago's environment, including but not limited to rivers, freshwater, air, coastal waters, and land. Managing and preventing marine pollution and oil spills. Preparedness for Civil Defence across the Otago Region, including floods and earthquakes. Transport planning and passenger services across the region. Ensuring general regional well-being.
Assets
In the Otago Regional Council's annual report, containing the council's financial report from 2021 to 2022, the Otago Regional Council states that the council has $964.3m in total assets, exceeding their budgeted amount by $225m.
Port Otago The council's most valuable asset is Port Otago, which is 100% owned by the Council. Port Otago is located in the Otago Harbour in Dunedin and serves as the primary export port for the lower South Island. It consists of a deep container port at Port Chalmers and a bulk port in Dunedin, with two wharf-side cold storage facilities. Port Otago also owns property businesses in Dunedin, Auckland and Hamilton.
Prior to the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms, Port Otago and 400 harbourside properties was owned by Dunedin. As part of the local government reforms, the newly-formed Otago Regional Council gained control of Port Otago. During the 2024-25 financial profit, Port Otago delivered a net profit after tax of NZ$64.6 million and contributed NZ$18 million in revenue to the ORC.
Headquarters
The Otago Regional Council's headquarters was formerly based at Stafford Street in Dunedin until mid-April 2026, when it relocated to a new purpose built-site on Maclaggan Street. Prior to the relocation, the Council's 300 staff operated from three sites in Dunedin. On 15 June 2021, Port Otago's property arm purchased The Warehouse Group's former central Dunedin department store on Maclaggan Street for NZ$10.2 million, which it intended to redevelop as the ORC's new headquarters.
In February 2023, the Otago Regional Council released plans about its new Maclaggan Street site, which would be known as "Whare Rūnaka" and cost about NZ$45 million. Under the leasing arrangement, the ORC would be a long term tenant, starting with a 20-year lease followed by two 10-year right-of-renewals leases at market rental, with any surplus earnings from the rental being returned to the Council via a dividend. While most Councillors approved the plan, Dunstan–based councillor Michael Laws opposed the new Maclaggan headquarters due to a projected 18.3% rates rise for 2023/24 and an alleged Dunedin-centric focus. The ORC's new Aonui headquarters on Maclaggan and High Street opened to the public on late April 2026, with the total cost of construction reaching NZ$56 million. The new building featured a large front-of-house area, an open-plan office space with desk island formations, breakout interview rooms and soundproof booths.
History The Otago Regional Council was established as part of the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms, which created the present two-tier system of regional councils and territorial authorities. The newly-formed ORC also gained ownership of Port Otago, which had previously been managed by Dunedin.
2019 Skelton report
On 19 May 2019, the Government launched an investigation into the Otago Regional Council, analysing the council's ability to deal with incoming water permit replacement applications as a result of the century-old water permits being replaced with Resource Management Act (RMA) consents. This investigation took place after a council report was leaked to the media which detailed concerns about the council's lack of ability to deal with new water permit applications, which the Minister for the Environment David Parker summarised in a letter to the then Chairperson Marian Hobbs which stated that Professor Peter Skelton concluded that "the Otago Region does not have a fit for purpose planning framework in place" to deal with incoming water permits. Along with this conclusion, the Minister made a series of recommendations to the council including a fully developed freshwater management planning regime to assess water consent applications, to develop and initiate a "programme of work" which would fully review the RPS by November 2020 and a refurbished and original Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP), and finally for the Otago Regional Council to develop a plan change to provide an appropriate "interim planning and consenting framework" which would manage freshwater until allocation limits are set up.
In the report, David Parker expressed disagreement with Professor Skelton's recommendation that he begins a process to change the date for expiry of specific deemed permits until 2025. Later, the date for expiry of water permits and discharge permits was reached and on 1 October 2022, the 30th anniversary of the Resource Management Act, they officially expired.
2020 leadership change
After the 2019 election, on 23 October 2019, former minister of the environment Marian Hobbs was confirmed as the chair of the newly elected Council through a majority vote by her fellow councillors. Hobbs attracted criticism from her fellow Councillors after she wrote to Minister for the Environment David Parker during the national COVID-19 lockdown asked him whether or not he would consider appointing a commissioner to the Council if she lost a vote on policy implementation.
Marian Hobbs before her sacking as chairwoman had on multiple occasions affirmed that she would not step down willingly and although she did declare "my chances are nil" when asked about her possibly retaining the position, she instead wanted the public to witness the removal of her as chairwoman. Her position was not completely unfounded, as it is thought that a comfortable majority of councillors already supported new leadership.
On 15 June 2020, nine of the Councillors wrote to the Chief Executive, asking for an extraordinary meeting to be called to remove Hobbs as chair. An extraordinary meeting of the council was subsequently called for on 8 July 2021, where she made an opening statement including "I was too effective in pushing the water reforms" and that "she would not back away from arguing for the environment". It was clear that she had lost the support of the council and she was removed as chair through a majority vote (9–2). Andrew Noone was then elected unopposed as Chair and stood successfully for re-election in 2022 in the Dunedin Constituency. Marian Hobbs resigned on 1 November 2021, and did not stand for re-election in the 2022 local elections.
2022 rates rise In June 2022 the council approved an annual plan of $109m for 2022–2023 with an 18% rates rise.
2023–2024 freshwater management dispute
In mid December 2023, the Otago Regional Council decided to continue work on its freshwater management policy despite a change in government following the 2023 New Zealand general election. ORC chairwoman Gretchen Robertson said the council would aim to notify the Government about its land and water plan by 30 June 2024. RMA Minister Chris Bishop disagreed with the ORC's decision, stating that the National-led coalition government had extended the deadline for councils to submit their revised plans to 31 December 2027 in order to accommodate the Government's planned changes to RMA legislation and scrapping of the previous Labour Government's National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020.
In mid-February 2024 Councillors Robertson, deputy Chairman Cr Lloyd McCall and senior ORC staff met with RMA Reform Minister Bishop, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay to discuss how the Government's plans to overhaul national freshwater management policies would affect the council's land and water management plan. The Ministers reiterated the Government's message that the ORC stop work on its plan and adapt to its planned changes. On 22 February, the ORC voted by a margin of 8–4 to continue working on its land and water plan despite the Government's new directive. While Robertson welcomed the majority vote as a sign that the council was mature and not divided, Crs Michael Laws and Gary Kelliher warned that the council's vote could give Simmonds justification to dissolve the council and install government-appointed commissioners. Cr Alan Somervile said that the council's vote was not about opposing the Government but was rather about "looking after the environment."