Give us your take on our future plans

Published on 27 March 2024

We'd like to get your feedback on the projects and facilities we’re proposing to deliver to our communities over the next 10 years and beyond. There are some big challenges ahead for our district and we want to hear what our communities think.

Feedback will be closing on Monday 8 April, so if you haven’t already, head to tcdc.govt.nz/LTP-2024-2034 to read our consultation document and supporting information.

The consultation document is your roadmap to our proposals for the Long Term Plan (LTP). Your feedback will help inform our Councillors as they make decisions for our final LTP, which we’ll be adopting in late June.

The LTP sets the project priorities and budget forecasts for the next 10 years and beyond. It sets the rates and fees and charges for the first year of this period. The LTP is updated if needed for future years in annual plans, until the LTP is redone in three years.

Here are some of the issues we’re asking you about:

• How to manage the rates increase proposed for 2024/25 to lessen the impact on our ratepayers.
• Options for investing more in future planning so that our towns can grow and develop in a strategic way.
• Investing in connected communities that can better respond to challenges such as severe weather events.

Find out more

What are we proposing for your rates?

There are a lot of mandatory projects we need to deliver, such as upgrading our water infrastructure to meet national standards, and there’s not a much room to move in our budgets. We’re proposing a ‘just the essentials’ budget for our future planning that will make provision for the basics, such as repairing and improving our roading network, dealing with the effects of climate change, and supporting and growing our communities to become more resilient.

To achieve this, we’re proposing an average district-wide rates increase of 12.9% for the 2024/25 financial year.

How much you pay will depend on a number of things like the value of your property and the services it is rated for, and on the new district property valuations from QV, which have largely risen across our district.

Our proposed median rating examples for each Community Board area show one example per area and rate type. These may also be affected by the new QV property values, which are likely to be finalised in May.

Check your proposed rates for 2024/25

What do you get for your weekly rates?

How does this compare with other councils around New Zealand?

Local Government NZ has commissioned a report by Infometrics economist, Brad Olsen, which details the cost pressures that councils are facing around the country. According to data in draft long-term plans across 48 councils, homeowners are facing average rates rises of 15 per cent, averaging about $8 more per week per household.

To give you an idea of the cost pressures that councils are facing, over the past three years:

• Bridges are 38 per cent more expensive to build
• Wastewater systems are 30 per cent more expensive to build
• Roads and water supply system are 27 per cent more expensive to build.

It’s a complex picture that includes higher inflation, global rises for freight, fuel and materials, increased costs to service debt, and rising insurance, compliance and audit costs.

Check out the full report here

What does it cost to provide services for our district?

• We look after about $16 billion worth of infrastructure, assets and facilities, and we estimate that it will cost $356 million over the next 10 years just to take care of existing assets and maintain current services.
• Upgrades to assets will cost another $388 million, including mandatory upgrades such as updating our Thames South water infrastructure to meet national drinking water standards.
• We’ve estimated our operating costs for ongoing expenditure at a total of $1.4 billion over the next 10 years. That’s an increase of $59 million from 2023/24 to 2033/34.
• Our proposed capital projects (projects that involve building or improving property or infrastructure) total $744 million over the next 10 years.
• This includes $192 million that will be spent on recovery and resilience work, and $46 million for growth-related projects.

How can you have a say?

There are many ways to give your feedback – online, by email or written submission, face to face or directly to your Elected Members. If you’re an organisation or community group, you can also invite us to come and speak to you.

Find out more our website     Give your feedback online