The inherently global nature of climate change has led to a focus on international negotiations and the development of national commitments as dominant mitigation tools. However, there is a growing awareness that ultimate success depends upon involving subnational government, particularly cities, which are uniquely placed to address climate change in terms of both policy development and implementation of mitigation actions. In recent years the theory of multi-level governance has been used to analyse governments' roles as effective climate actors. This article uses this theory to examine legal and policy developments in New Zealand that have a direct influence on the ability of local government to contribute to climate change mitigation. New Zealand's former leadership in this area has been progressively eroded since 2004. As a result, local government is left with limited direct capacity to contribute to mitigation. Given the failure of New Zealand's national mitigation policies, the disempowerment of local government is an additional impediment to achieving emission reductions. While New Zealand may not be unique in its current lack of support for local government (and their communities), what is novel is the co-ordinated and deliberate trend away from multi-level governance.Policy relevanceThere is a growing awareness of the interdependence between international climate change obligations, national commitments and the role of sub-national government, cities in particular. States are being encouraged to empower subnational government to take a complementary role in climate change mitigation policy and action. This article demonstrates that the paradoxical trend in New Zealand is part of a co-ordinated policy approach favouring increased centralization and economic development over a commitment to sustainability. This deliberate disempowerment of local government leaves its most populous city with an aspirational action plan it will find difficult to deliver on. It also compounds New Zealand's current failure to undertake strong climate change mitigation action.