Reports

Head Start: Building the platform for your region's future

2026

July 9, 2026

Across the country, councils are working together to assess whether a Head Start proposal makes sense for their communities. Tessa McGregor and Nick Carlaw of MartinJenkins have prepared this report, the fourth in a series we have produced in partnership with LGNZ.

Our first, “Autonomy and authority”, examined the case for structural change. The second and third in the series set out the range of challenges the local-government sector faces as it seeks to achieve financial sustainability.

This new paper, “Head Start”, is designed to put the Head Start pathway in that broader context of the long-term financial sustainability of local government.

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