Two Northland councils say the Local Government Commission has not given them enough time to consult the public on local government reform.
The commission has given the councils until mid-April to come up with reform proposals.
Far North mayor Wayne Brown kicked off the reform process in Northland by applying to have the Far North become a unitary authority and for the rest of Northland to be a separate authority.
Whangarei mayor Morris Cutforth says his council was planning to hold a series of public meetings and will have to limit them to meet the commission's deadline.
The regional council chair, Craig Brown, says it makes sense to have one council for the whole of Northland.
