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a day ago
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Tauranga's Rates Hike Approved Amid Protest
Tauranga homeowners will pay an extra $180 to $1124 in rates for 2025 after the council approved its budget. Tauranga City Council adopted the 2025/26 Annual Plan at a meeting on Thursday with a 9.9 percent overall rates increase. About 60 people gathered before the meeting to protest the rates increase. It was the second rally organised by Jan Gyenge. In May, around 250 people marched down Devonport Rd calling for a 0 percent rates increase for 2025. Gyenge said Thursday's rally was to let the councillors know people were still not happy with the 9.9 percent rates increase, given it was nowhere near the 0 percent they called for. There would be another protest at midday Sunday outside the council building at 90 Devonport Rd, she said. The 9.9 percent increase was down from the 12.5 percent initially proposed. Gyenge and three others spoke in the public forum asking the council to reduce the rates. Gyenge's request to speak at Wednesday's meeting was initially declined because the council said her perspective had been heard before, but it had a last-minute change of heart. She asked the councillors to "stop the wastage". Gyenge talked about the council's spending and chastised it for a planned playground opening event in Bethlehem, with free food and face-painting. "It's a little amount, relatively, but these little amounts add up. This expenditure has to stop." Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the council took more than $30 million out of its operating budget to get to the 9.9 percent increase. This included cutting 98 staff, with more likely still to come as the council underwent a management review. Drysdale said there was a lot of work to do in Tauranga after "chronic underinvestment" in facilities and infrastructure. "We do understand the tough financial position a number of households find themselves in. This [annual plan] strikes a good balance of keeping the investment in our city for what we need for the future while making it as affordable as possible." Councillor Rick Curach said the council had a big job ahead to look for further savings, but he was confident they could reduce the forecasted rates in the 10-year plan. Rates increases were not in line with people's wage increases, and many in the community found it "increasingly difficult" to afford them, he said. "I look forward to finding more and more savings and not having such a huge cost on our community." Councillor Glen Crowther said he would support the Annual Plan, but the council had to deliver a lower rates increase next year. It also needed to look at its capital projects and reorganise them to "lock in some affordability", he saidm and figure out what the public could afford and come up with a plan that met those requirements. "We are here to serve the public. We are not here to deliver a plan." Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular said people wanted new playgrounds, sports fields and facilities, but the council needed to understand how to get more value from its "significant expenditure". Drysdale said they were approving a budget by adopting the Annual Plan but that did not mean they needed to spend it all. "We want to find every saving that we can, and I think there's big opportunities to continue to save money." The council could deliver the same assets for significantly less money if it looked at its processes and did things differently, he said. "This is setting a budget\ - now the real hard work starts as we try to deliver under that budget." How much will your rates increase? Capital value $355,000 - $180.83 (8.3%) Capital value $885,000 - $320.72 (9.2%) Capital Value $1.12m - $382.75 (9.4%) Capital Value $3.929m - $1124.22 (10.2%) - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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a day ago
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Investment In Core Services And Infrastructure Continues In Lower Hutt
Hutt City Council has today approved its Annual Plan 2025/26 which balances investment in core infrastructure and services in a challenging economic environment. The Annual Plan sets a rates revenue increase of 12.6% (after growth) which is a reduction from the 13.4% (after growth) increase forecast in the 10-Year Plan adopted in 2024. This equates to an average weekly increase of $8.90 per household. More than half goes toward water services and transport. Of the average weekly increase, $4.27 is for investment in water services, and $1.16 is for investment in transport. Fixing our pipes and other water infrastructure remains our top priority and is driving much of the increase in rates. There is $256 million of capital investment forecast for the year. This includes funding for significant resilience projects such as Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi (RiverLink) and the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant. Key challenges faced by Council in setting the Annual Plan were: Demand and pressure on infrastructure, largely due to ageing assets and historic underinvestment. Housing supply and affordability. Delivering services for a growing population. Responding to climate change and sustainability. Government policy reform impacts and uncertainties. Mayor Campbell Barry acknowledged the impact on households of any rates increase. "We know households are under pressure, and any rates increase is tough. That's why we've trimmed costs, deferred non-essential work and gone line by line through the budget to keep this increase as low as we can while still investing in the infrastructure our city needs. We are clear that kicking the can down the road on upgrading our infrastructure will only cost ratepayers more in the future." . "It would have been politically convenient to slash our rates increase in an election year, but the impact of that would be a hospital pass to the new council post October's Local Body election. That's not something we are willing to do." Council has taken a balanced approach and found $17.5 million in savings to reduce costs while not cutting back on basic services. Changes have been made to various Council fees and charges including the daily parking rate which moves to $12 per day citywide. The daily parking rate was previously $10 a day. And in a move that will save ratepayers about $50,000 a year, Council will now send four rates invoices a year instead of six. The change only affects how often you receive invoices, not the overall rates you're charged. You can find details here: Mayor Barry has also asked council officers to prepare budget review options for the incoming council to consider. These options will include a focus on service prioritisation, affordability, and value for money. "This is in response to the significant change that will come with water being removed from the council's balance sheet when the new entity is established. "This will be the biggest change for council since Hutt City Council's inception in 1989. It's the right time for council to do a full budget review." Council also approved a new initiative with other councils called the Rates Assistance Programme. The service will help councils to offer low-cost loans to ratepayers. Council also offers various rates relief packages if certain criteria is met. Details can be found here: The Annual Plan 2025/26 - which is similar to what was set out and consulted on last year in the 10 Year Plan- takes effect from 1 July 2025. The final Annual Plan 2025-26 will be published on our website. Before then, it can be found from page 129 of this document:
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a day ago
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Council Resolution Administrative Error To Be Corrected
Audit New Zealand has identified an administrative error in relation to the decision made by Council when it adopted the rates for 2025/2026, compared to what is included in the final NPDC Annual Plan document. At the May 13 Council meeting, the resolution said the figures were inclusive of GST but were in fact exclusive of GST. The Annual Plan itself remains valid and approved; however, we need a resolution that matches what is in the Annual Plan. This approach is consistent with legal advice which recognises the error as essentially as a typo. 'We apologise we got this wrong and are looking at our processes to identify what we can do better,' says NPDC General Manager Corporate Innovation, Jacqueline Baker. This matter will go to the Council on 1 July. The report on this matter should be on our website within the next couple of hours (today).
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a day ago
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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.
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a day ago
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Council Awards $180,000 In Grants To Local Community Groups
Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has awarded $180,000 in grants through its Community Fund 2025-2026 to support 28 groups across the district. QLDC Community Partnerships Manager Marie Day said the funding round focused on supporting local initiatives that deliver strong wellbeing outcomes and reflect community needs. 'This year's fund of $180,000 was allocated through the Annual Plan. Despite the relatively limited funding, we were delighted to be able to support an impressive range of projects and organisations that look to make a meaningful impact, enhancing the wellbeing and connectivity of our community,' said Ms Day. 'From youth and environmental initiatives to arts, culture and social services, the 28 successful applicants represent the vibrant diversity of our district and the dedication of those working to make it better,' she said. Applications for the 2025-2026 round closed on 30 April and were assessed by a panel of elected members and staff, with the final decisions made by Full Council in late June. Groups had the option to present their applications in person in May, offering valuable insight into their work and impact. Ms Day acknowledged the challenging environment many community groups continue to face. 'We recognise that rising costs and economic pressures make it tough for many groups to sustain their services. While this year's fund was smaller, the demand for support remains high, and we're committed to ensuring community voices remain at the heart of our funding priorities,' she said. Full details of the fund recipients are available on the Council's website at
