The head of Local Government New Zealand says the push for large-scale council amalgamations is deterring communities from getting behind any council restructures.
Three proposals to amalgamate councils have failed this year, the latest in Hawke's Bay.
The organisation that represents local authorities is calling for more incremental changes.
Its president, Lawrence Yule, said central government could tweak the law so that, rather than big amalgamations, smaller mergers more acceptable to communities could happen.
