logo
Horizons Regional Council confirms 8.8% rates increase for 2025-26

Horizons Regional Council confirms 8.8% rates increase for 2025-26

NZ Herald2 days ago

Horizons Regional Council has adopted its annual plan, signalling an average rates increase of 8.8%, which is lower than originally forecast.
The plan was adopted at a council meeting in Tararua on June 24.
The average rates increase of 8.8% is lower than what was in the 2024-34 Long-Term Plan

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wellington City Sets Course: Annual Plan And Amended Long-Term Plan Adopted
Wellington City Sets Course: Annual Plan And Amended Long-Term Plan Adopted

Scoop

time2 days ago

  • Scoop

Wellington City Sets Course: Annual Plan And Amended Long-Term Plan Adopted

Investment for the year ahead has been set with the adoption of Wellington City Council's 2025-26 Annual Plan and an amendment to the 2024-34 Long-term Plan. 'This is a significant moment for Wellington City Council. After needing to amend our Long-Term Plan last year, we've collectively proven our ability to find significant savings and still deliver essential services and infrastructure over the next decade,' says Mayor Tory Whanau. 'We can now move forward with the projects Wellington wanted, while also investing in much-needed infrastructure and setting up our city for future generations.' Councillor Rebecca Matthews, Chair of the Council's Kōrau Tōtōpū Long-Term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee, says funding has been allocated to enhance public spaces, upgrade social housing, support vulnerable communities, foster arts, promote green initiatives including biodiversity, and address city safety. 'We've identified significant savings without compromising the quality of services the community relies on or delaying critical infrastructure projects.' The Council yesterday officially approved and accepted the plan and amendment, which was put out for public consultation between March and April. The 2025/26 Annual Plan and associated budget includes an average rates increase of 12 percent, including 1.4 percent for the sludge levy. This is slightly below the forecast for the year in the 2024-34 Long-term Plan. In total, the Council proposes to collect $628 million in rates during the 2025/26 year to fund services across the city. The Council is also creating a disaster resilience fund by selling some ground leases. This fund is designed to enhance Wellington's ability to recover from future disasters by providing a dedicated financial resource. Thursday's adoption was the final stage in the process of amending the 2024-34 Long-term Plan and 2025/26 Annual Plan and their respective budgets. The adoption is a requirement to implement rates for the 2025/26 year. The Council plans to invest close to $3.4 billion of capital expenditure in improving Pōneke over the next 10 years and nearly $9 billion towards running city services. The 2024-34 Long-term Plan was amended to reflect an October 2024 Council decision not to sell its shares in Wellington International Airport Limited. The amendment sought an alternative approach to addressing the key financial risks of underinsurance and lack of investment diversification. To manage the risks, the Council is increasing its borrowing capacity by reducing capital spending and creating a disaster resilience fund for use in emergency situations. Following the adoption of the Annual Plan, changes to fees and user charges have also been implemented. The Council approved the introduction of a $1-an-hour fee for the use of central city motorcycle bays, with a daily cap of $6, with the charge implemented on weekdays between 8am and exact date for implementation is yet to be confirmed. Most fees and user charges will increase, effective 1 July. There are several variables that impact on how fees and charges are set. These vary from activity to activity, and can relate to inflation, rising costs, market rates, policy alignment or the provision of new services.

Environment Canterbury Adopts Annual Plan 2025/26 After Strong Public Feedback
Environment Canterbury Adopts Annual Plan 2025/26 After Strong Public Feedback

Scoop

time4 days ago

  • Scoop

Environment Canterbury Adopts Annual Plan 2025/26 After Strong Public Feedback

Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) has today officially adopted its Annual Plan for 2025/26, following a robust public consultation process and strategic council deliberations that reflected the voices of communities across the region. The plan sets out the council's priorities and budget for the coming financial year, with a sharpened focus on public transport, resource consent fees, and community support. The plan also acts as a bridge between the council's Long-Term Plan and the evolving needs of the Waitaha/Canterbury region, with a continued focus on environmental regulation and protection, community preparedness and response to hazards and public transport. A total of 744 submissions were received during the consultation period from 28 February to 3 April, with particularly strong engagement from residents in Selwyn and Christchurch. Smarter spending, lower rates One of the most significant outcomes is a reduced average total rates increase of approximately 5.8% — a notable drop from the 9.9% proposed during consultation and well below the 15.5% forecast in Year 2 of the Long-Term Plan 2024-34. This reduction was achieved through deferring certain public transport projects and identifying broader organisational savings. Key decisions from May deliberations Public Transport: The proposed Darfield to Rolleston bus trial will not proceed. Instead, enhancements will be made to Route 85 (Rolleston to City direct) and Route 86 (Darfield to City direct), subject to fleet availability. Community support: Increased funding for community vehicle trusts was approved, alongside the development of a strategic framework to guide future public transport requests outside the Greater Christchurch and Timaru networks. Fees and Charges: Updates to resource consent fees were confirmed, with a new Fees and Charges Schedule coming into effect on 1 July 2025. Community voices at the heart Canterbury Regional Council Chair Craig Pauling said he was pleased the Council had adopted the Plan, which was informed by valuable community feedback. 'We appreciate everyone who took the time to provide us with their feedback and experiences during the drafting process for this Plan. 'Many of the final decisions that we made were informed by community feedback which is something that my Councillors and I are proud of. 'We feel that we have landed in a good place for the region and are looking forward to supporting our staff to deliver the Plan over the next twelve months.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store