Annual Report 2017/2018
The Annual Report provides a snapshot of how we delivered on projects, services and spending compared to forecasts for the financial year in the Annual Plan.
Message from the Chief Executive and Mayor | Mai i te Kaiwhakahaere Wahine a Te Meia
Welcome to our 2017/2018 Annual Report.
We are pleased to provide this overview of what our Council has been delivering over the year 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.
Once again, this has been a busy year for Council as we have been committed to delivering our core services well and responding to new developments to deliver many positive outcomes for our Thames-Coromandel communities.
A major focus for elected members and staff over the last twelve months was completing the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan, our key budget and planning document which serves as a roadmap for budgets, projects and services for the next ten years.
Every three years it is renewed. The Long Term Plan also identifies some of the challenges and opportunities we see on the horizon for our district. Working with our communities is central to this process, and we were delighted with the huge number of submissions on our consultation document – 784 all up. It was pleasing to see our communities so engaged and taking the time to participate in local democracy.
Visit the Long Term Plan page on our website to find out more – or feel free to pop into one of the Council offices.
Highlights of the 2017/2018 year
We had a number of highlights in the 2017/18 year; including:
Upgrade of the Thames Water Treatment plant to make it compliant with drinking water standards, as well as chlorinating the Hahei and Pauanui water supplies to ensure those communities can rely on safe drinking water.
Resolving appeals to the District Plan. We are pleased to report 33 of 72 appeals have now been entirely resolved, bringing us much closer to the new District Plan being made fully operative.
The Jack McLean Community Recreation Centre in Thames opened on 16 February 2018. This facility is already being well used and demonstrates a successful partnership between Council and the Ministry of Education.
We processed 331 resource consents. While this was down on 2016/17 (395 consents), the volumes demonstrate there continues to be momentum for development in our district.
Sealing the remaining 2.2km of the Kauaeranga Valley Road up to the Department of Conservation visitor centre.
Completing much of the work on the Whitianga Town Centre upgrade. (This is scheduled to be completed by October 2019). We experienced some heavy-hitting weather this year.
Of particular note, was the January 5 storm event that affected our communities on our western Thames Coast. Despite the challenges we faced, the response and recovery demonstrated the community could cope, be resilient and rebuild quickly.
Covering 400 kilometres, our Coromandel district has one of the largest coastlines in the country, and our council is focused on building 'resilient' coastal communities that can respond to and recover from these sorts of hazards, which are common to many parts of New Zealand. This year we adopted our Coastal Management Strategy, which sets out a range of initiatives we will be taking over the coming years to better manage our coastal assets and understand the risk of coastal inundation and coastal erosion. The 2018-2028 Long Term Plan includes $2.6 million over three years to support us implementing this strategy.
With the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan complete, we have been able to hit the ground running for this new financial year, with a sharp focus on the services and facilities our communities have told us they want to see in our district.
Council remains committed to delivering the best service to you, our customer, and ensuring the communities of the Thames-Coromandel district are great places to live, work and visit.
Please continue to take the time to engage with us and let us know how we are doing and where there is room for improvement in our service delivery. Let’s keep talking and growing together, in the 2018/19 year and beyond.
Mayor Sandra Goudie and Chief Executive Rob Williams.
To obtain a copy of this document you can:
- Download the PDF version here(PDF, 48MB)
- Request a hard copy by phoning Customer Services on 07 868 0200
- Collect a copy from any Council Service Centre or Library