The deadline for local councils to submit their amalgamation plans was yesterday, and Local Government New Zealand is calling for clarity on the next steps.

In May, the Government gave councils three months to come up with proposals on how leadership in their regions should be reshaped - with 48 councils submitting Head Start proposals and 17 abstaining.

LGNZ President and Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz says the organisation would love to have clarity on the next phase of this plan, given some councils didn't participate.

"We now know that several councils have not participated, for whatever reason. They did try, but also, some councils like Gisborne and other unitary authorities did not have to take part in the Head Start. So we would love to have clarity about that."

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