Represented Variable
The regional council is the top tier of local government in New Zealand. They are defined by Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 2002. Regional councils are defined at meshblock and area unit level. The Local Government Act 2002 requires the boundaries of regions to conform as far as possible to one or more water catchments. When determining regional boundaries, the Local Government Commission gave consideration to regional communities of interest when selecting water catchments to be included in a region. It also considered factors such as natural resource management, land use planning and environmental matters. Regional councils cover every territorial authority in New Zealand with the exception of Chatham Islands Territory. The seaward boundary of the regions is the twelve mile (19.3km) New Zealand territorial limit. Generally regional councils contain complete territorial authorities. Where territorial authorities straddle regional council boundaries, the affected area has been statistically defined in complete area units. Regional councils are given a unique two digit code. Area Outside Region code of 99 is for those areas that are not included in a Regional Council.
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