Upper Hutt Mayor Peri Zee says she wants her city pulled out of a plan to combine several Wellington region councils into one big council.

Zee told RNZ she is not convinced the merger is a good idea and has not heard anyone explain what the benefits would be. She said the region already works well together on things like transport, and the merger would not save enough money for ratepayers.

"If a council votes no, that means no… and I would expect that they would respect that," Zee told RNZ. She said she would ask councillors at every council in the region to put forward a change that removes Upper Hutt from the merger plan, a position Auckland Scoop also reported.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little confirmed what was happening in an email to all his councillors. He said Upper Hutt intended to vote against the merger and that Zee planned to ask each council to write Upper Hutt out of the proposal. Little's own merger proposal, if his council backs it, would include the region's four city councils, he told RNZ.

The current plan would combine Wellington, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, and Porirua city councils, plus three Wairarapa councils and possibly Kāpiti District Council. Underneath the main council, smaller community councils would handle local issues. Councils across New Zealand have until August 9 to submit plans to simplify local government.

Little wants the Wellington region to sort out its own future before that deadline, rather than letting the Government step in. He told RNZ that ministers set up the process in a way that lets them override a council that votes no. "Ministers can say it doesn't make sense for you not to be in it, therefore you're in it," Little said.

A report by consultancy MartinJenkins found that a merged Wellington council could cost $290 million to set up but save $930 million over 25 years. A survey of 3,016 Wellington city residents found 85% supported councillors putting forward merger plans, with 68% strongly supporting and 17% somewhat supporting.

Wellington and Wairarapa councils are scheduled to vote on the merger plan, though details are still being worked out, according to Auckland Scoop. The Post reported on July 23 that Upper Hutt is likely to back out, based on a leaked email showing Zee's position. The New Zealand Herald ran a story headlined "Setback for Wellington merger as Upper Hutt Mayor Peri Zee signals likely exit." Zee also appeared on Newstalk ZB's Wellington Mornings to talk about the plans.

Upper Hutt City Council signalled caution in a June 30 article on its website, titled "Upper Hutt community approach amalgamation conversation with caution." It quotes Zee saying residents want to know how the merger would affect them and their families' access to services. In a May 30 video on her Facebook page, Zee called the merger decision "a huge decision" and said "we believe you should be a part of it."

Zee's view has changed over time. In a November 2025 RNZ article, she called amalgamation an "inevitability" at some point. In February 2026, the Upper Hutt City Council published an article saying it would consider giving Zee authority to take part in a regional working group on the topic, with the Deputy Mayor as backup. A May 20, 2026 council agenda lists Zee as Chair and Deputy Mayor Corey White as Deputy Chair of a "Wellington Water Amalgamation" item.

The bigger issue here is who gets the final say. The Government has set a process where councils can propose their own restructuring, but ministers can still step in and force a council into a merger even if it votes no. That means even if Upper Hutt is removed from the plan by amendment, ministers could decide to put it back in. With the August 9 deadline looming, councils have to vote on a plan that is still changing shape.