The Local Government Act 1974 of New Zealand consolidated the previous law relating to local government that applied to territorial local authorities, regional and district council bodies in New Zealand.

Local Government Act 1974
New Zealand Parliament
Long title An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to the reorganisation of the districts and functions of local authorities, to make better provision for the administration of those functions which can most effectively be carried out on a regional basis, and to make provision for the establishment of united councils, regional councils, district councils, district community councils, and community councils, and to consolidate and amend the Municipal Corporations Act 1954, the Counties Act 1956, the Local Authorities (Petroleum Tax) Act 1970, and provisions of other Acts of the Parliament of New Zealand relating to the powers and functions of regional councils, united councils, and territorial local authorities
Royal assent	8 November 1974
Commenced	1 December 1974
Administered by	Department of Internal Affairs
Legislative history
Introduced by	Henry May
Passed	1974
Amended by
1989
Related legislation
Local Government (New Zealand) Act of 2002
Status: Current legislation

The Act made provision for the establishment of:

• unitary authorities
• regional councils (which were not established until the 1989 local government reforms)^[1]
• district councils
• district community councils
• community councils
• local authority trading enterprises

The Act consolidated and amended the Municipal Corporations Act 1954, the Counties Act 1956, the Local Authorities (Petroleum Tax) Act 1970, and provisions of other Acts of the Parliament of New Zealand relating to the powers and functions of regional councils, united councils, and territorial local authorities.

The legislation is the legal basis for the governances of the cities, districts and regions of New Zealand.

Although most of the Act was repealed when the Local Government Act 2002 was enacted, some sections, providing for the management of roads, transport, navigation, drainage, rivers and waste management, still apply.^[2]