New Zealand Administrative Divisions
What is the hierarchy of administrative divisions in New Zealand?
Here’s a breakdown of the hierarchy:
1. Unitary Authorities: New Zealand is divided into 17 unitary authorities.
2. City Council: These are the smallest administrative units, often found within unitary authorities.
List of New Zealand's administrative divisions with their counts and names
These are the summarized administrative divisions. The full dataset is available in the Download Center.
| iso | country | admin level 1 | admin level 2 | admin level 3 | admin level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | New Zealand | Auckland (Unitary Authority) | 1 City Council | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Bay of Plenty (Region) | 1 City Council, 5 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Canterbury (Region) | 1 City Council, 8 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Chatham Islands (External territory) | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Gisborne (Unitary Authority) | 1 District council | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Greater Wellington (Region) | 4 City Councils, 4 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Hawke's Bay (Region) | 1 City Council, 3 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Manawatu Whanganui (Region) | 1 City Council, 6 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Marlborough (Unitary Authority) | 1 District council | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Nelson (Unitary Authority) | 1 City Council | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Northland (Region) | 3 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Otago (Region) | 1 City Council, 4 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Southland (Region) | 1 City Council, 2 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Taranaki (Region) | 3 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Tasman (Unitary Authority) | 1 District council | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | Waikato (Region) | 1 City Council, 9 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
| NZ | New Zealand | West Coast (Region) | 3 District councils | This level doesn’t exist for this country. | This level doesn’t exist for this country. |
Why is building an Administrative Divisions Database complex?
The complexity arises from inconsistent global standards, frequent boundary changes, non-uniform naming conventions (e.g., “suburb” in Australia vs. “county” in the US), and variations in administrative levels across countries. Integrating and harmonizing data from multiple sources requires advanced normalization, versioning, and geospatial validation techniques.
How does GeoPostcodes solve the problem for you?
Our standardized database overcomes the complexity of different administrative division
systems worldwide. Our database follows a unified structure that you can integrate
seamlessly into your system or platform of choice without needing to become an expert in
each country’s unique administrative hierarchy.
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