What is the Council Toolkit?
Council Toolkit is a knowledge base built by Taituāra — Local Government Professionals Aotearoa — in partnership with expert reference groups and leading sector specialists including Simpson Grierson, BERL, and the Department of Internal Affairs.
It brings together step-by-step process guidance, legal compliance tools, financial resources, governance frameworks, and more — all in one place, kept current, and designed for the realities of working in local government.
Rather than hunting through legislation, outdated internal guides, or scattered email threads, council staff can come here for clear, authoritative information they can act on.
Using the Council Toolkit
Who is it for?
Council Toolkit is for anyone working in New Zealand local government — from team members handling day-to-day compliance tasks to managers and specialists who need reliable, up-to-date reference material to share with their teams.
Whether you’re new to local government or highly experienced, Council Toolkit gives you a consistent, authoritative source of guidance that keeps pace with legislative and sector changes.
How to get access
Council Toolkit is funded through annual subscriptions paid by councils. Once your council has a subscription, access is free for all staff. Currently every council in New Zealand has a subscription.
Already have a myTaituarā account?
Log in with your existing myTaituāra credentials — if your council has a subscription, you’ll have immediate access.
New to myTaituarā?
If your council subscribes but you don’t yet have a myTaituarā account, you can register for free using your council email address. Your email domain will be matched to your council’s subscription automatically.