Horizons Regional Council

What Horizons Regional Council does

Horizons Regional Council is a New Zealand regional government authority established in 1989 and headquartered at 11-15 Victoria Avenue, Palmerston North. It is the statutory regional council for the Manawatū-Whanganui region, exercising delegated powers under the Local Government Act and the Resource Management Act 1991 across nine districts: Horowhenua, Manawatū, Palmerston North City, Rangitīkei, Ruapehu, Tararua, Whanganui, and parts of adjacent areas. Its mandated remit covers natural resource management, environmental monitoring, flood and river management, regional land transport planning, passenger transport (Connect Public Transport), biosecurity, biodiversity, and emergency management coordination.

The council operates an environmental data monitoring network of more than 800 sites that collect river flow, rainfall, air quality, and other environmental metrics, with data exposed via the envirodata.horizons.govt.nz platform. Its digital service portfolio includes WaterMatters and MyWaterMatters portals for consent holders, the Rate Information Database and online property rates search, the Farmer's Toolkit (integrated with the Overseer nutrient management platform), a 24-hour pollution hotline (0508 800 800), the Have Your Say consultation platform, and live environmental webcams. The One Plan — comprising the regional policy statement, regional plan, and regional coastal plan — serves as the council's primary regulatory framework.

Horizons is funded principally through property rates levied directly on owners in the region (collected by Horizons rather than city or district councils since 2002) and through resource consent application and monitoring fees set under Section 36 of the Resource Management Act. It runs a distributed service-delivery model through seven physical offices (Palmerston North, Whanganui (×2), Kairanga, Marton, Taumarunui, Woodville), a multi-channel digital presence, and a wholly-owned council-controlled organisation, MWRC Holdings Limited, which manages property assets on the council's behalf. The council is currently participating in the Government's Simplifying Local Government reform process, including a 2026 commissioned assessment of a single unitary model for the Horizons Region.

Name

Horizons Regional Council

Legal name

Horizons Regional Council

Website

https://horizons.govt.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Horizons Regional Council is a New Zealand regional government authority headquartered in Palmerston North that manages natural resources, environmental monitoring (800+ sites), flood and river management, regional transport, biosecurity, and emergency services across the nine districts of the Manawatū-Whanganui region, funded primarily via property rates and resource consent fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Regional governance services
• Environmental monitoring
• Flood management
• Public transport services
• Resource consent processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Palmerston North

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Regional Council Rates: Property owners in the region contribute to work programmes through regional council rates. Rates are directly collected from ratepayers rather than through city/district councils since 2002, providing greater transparency on how rates are spent.
2. Resource Consent Fees: Section 36 of the Resource Management Act 1991 enables local authorities to fix charges for various administrative and monitoring activities. Consent monitoring charges are issued annually to consent holders.
3. Annual Consent Monitoring Charges: Fees charged to consent holders to assist with consent monitoring work and science, research and environmental monitoring activities. Set annually through the Annual Plan process.
4. Community Grants Administration: Council administers grant programmes including Kanorau Koiora Taketake Indigenous Biodiversity Community Grant ($419,000 total funding allocated in 2026) and Community Climate Response Fund. Not revenue-generating.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Horizons Regional Council is the regional government authority for New Zealand's Manawatū-Whanganui region, providing statutory environmental management, flood and river management, regional land transport planning including public passenger transport (Connect), resource consent processing and compliance monitoring, property rates administration, and community grants administration. The council also operates an environmental data monitoring network of more than 800 sites collecting river, rainfall, and air quality data.

Product overview

Horizons Regional Council provides a suite of digital services for environmental management and local governance in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. The core online services include the Property Rates Search for rating information, MyWaterMatters for water consent holders, WaterMatters for environmental monitoring data, and the Farmer's Toolkit for agricultural compliance. The council also operates the Environmental Data Platform with 800+ monitoring sites, a Pollution Hotline for incident reporting, and public consultation platforms through Have Your Say. The One Plan serves as the regulatory framework governing all environmental policies in the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyWaterMatters: A web-based information system for individual water consent holders and organizations interested in water management in the region

Products and services

• WaterMatters A web-based information system for individual water consent holders and organisations to manage water allocation, compliance, and monitoring data.
• MyWaterMatters A customer portal for water consent holders to access their water allocation data, monitor usage, and manage their consent compliance.
• Property Rates Search An online rating information database that allows users to search for property valuation details and rates information using property address or valuation number.
• Pollution Hotline and Reporting A 24-hour pollution reporting service for reporting environmental incidents including unlawful discharges, chemical spills, and environmental damage.
• Farmer's Toolkit A comprehensive resource hub providing farmers with information on water metering, compliance requirements, rural advice, consent applications, and environmental funding opportunities.
• Environmental Data Platform A monitoring platform that operates and maintains an environmental data network of more than 800 sites across the region, collecting river and rainfall data and air quality data.
• Webcams Live webcams providing real-time environmental monitoring views across the region.
• Have Your Say Consultations A public consultation platform enabling community members to participate in decision-making on plans, policies, and work programmes.
• One Plan The regional policy statement, regional plan, and regional coastal plan for the Horizons Region, serving as the primary regulatory document for environmental management.
• Connect Public Transport Public transport service connecting communities across the Manawatū-Whanganui region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ environmental monitoring sites across the region collecting river, rainfall, and air quality data
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Morrison Low AdvisorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2026Commissioned by the Mayoral Forum to prepare an independent report assessing a single unitary model for the Horizons Region. The report develops a shared regional picture of what a Horizons Unitary Council could look like, tests alignment with Government's five assessment criteria, and provides a common evidence base for councils to inform their own considerations.
• MWRC Holdings LimitedcoreOthersA council-controlled organisation (CCO) that purchased properties at 7 Victoria Ave, 3 Victoria Ave, and 184 Grey St between 2021 and 2023 for a total of $3.5 million. The properties may be sold in the future due to local government reform uncertainty.
• DairyNZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural sector organisation providing resources and expertise for dairy farming compliance, effluent management information, and farming best practices. Referenced in Farmer's Toolkit for effluent and compliance guidance.
• Beef + Lamb NZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural sector organisation supporting sheep and beef farmers in the region with resources linked through the Farmer's Toolkit.
• Ministry for Primary IndustriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing primary industry resources and guidance referenced in the Farmer's Toolkit for farming sector support.
• Horowhenua District CouncilcoreOthersMayoral Forum member collaborating on Simplifying Local Government discussions. Mayor Bernie Wanden serves as Mayoral Forum Chair.
• Palmerston North City CouncilcoreOthersMayoral Forum member led by Mayor Grant Smith, participating in local government reform discussions.
• Manawatū District CouncilcoreOthersMayoral Forum member led by Mayor Michael Ford, participating in Simplifying Local Government discussions.
• Rangitīkei District CouncilminorOthersMayoral Forum member led by Mayor Andy Watson, participating in local government reform discussions.
• Ruapehu District CouncilminorOthersMayoral Forum member led by Mayor Weston Kirton, participating in Simplifying Local Government discussions.
• Tararua District CouncilminorOthersMayoral Forum member led by Mayor Scott Gilmore, participating in local government reform discussions.
• Whanganui District CouncilcoreOthersMayoral Forum member led by Mayor Andrew Tripe, participating in Simplifying Local Government discussions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Auckland Council: New Zealand's largest unitary authority managing regional council functions (environmental, transport, consents) plus territorial authority functions across the Auckland region. Comparable as it exercises both regional council and district council mandates, demonstrating an alternative governance model relevant to Horizons' reform discussions.

Direct peers

• Taranaki Regional Council: Smaller NZ regional council with comparable mandate around environmental management, consent processing, and biosecurity. Comparable operating model though smaller regional footprint than Horizons.
• Environment Canterbury (ECan): Canterbury region regional council with comparable statutory responsibilities for natural resource management, flood protection, public transport, and consent processing. Particularly relevant as ECan has unique governance arrangements (commissioners) that may inform Horizons' reform considerations.
• Waikato Regional Council: New Zealand regional council covering the Waikato region with responsibility for environmental monitoring, flood management, public transport, and resource consenting. Comparable scale and mandate, with significant agricultural land use driving similar farmer engagement requirements.
• Bay of Plenty Regional Council: NZ regional council with similar statutory functions including environmental monitoring, flood management, and regional planning. Comparable scale and operating model with both urban (Tauranga) and rural/agricultural districts.
• Hawke's Bay Regional Council: Regional council with similar mandate covering Hawke's Bay region, including cyclone recovery and flood management responsibilities following Cyclone Gabrielle. Comparable as a mid-sized NZ regional council with substantial environmental monitoring and farmer engagement functions.
• Greater Wellington Regional Council: One of New Zealand's 16 regional councils with statutory responsibility for environmental management, flood protection, public transport (Metlink), and regional planning under the Resource Management Act. Most directly comparable peer as it operates an identical mandate in the Wellington region.

Others

• Ministry for the Environment (New Zealand): Central government agency setting national environmental policy under which Horizons operates. Relevant as upstream policy setter whose direction (RMA reforms, freshwater regulations) materially affects Horizons' regulatory workload and mandate scope.
• Land Information New Zealand (LINZ): Crown agency managing property valuation, land title, and rating information systems used by regional councils. Relevant as infrastructure/technology partner for the Rating Information Database that Horizons operates for property rates.

Regional players

• Manawatu District Council: Territorial authority within the Horizons Region and Mayoral Forum member. Relevant as a regional partner currently engaged in reform discussions that could determine Horizons' future scope; comparable only as a regional government partner, not direct peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/vimeo.com/horizonsregion
• Facebookfacebook.com/HorizonsRegionalCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/horizons-regional-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/horizonsregionalcouncil
• TikToktiktok.com/@horizonsrc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Horizons Regional Council