Council’s performance and decision-making often spark interest.

Yesterday, the outgoing council held its final meeting of the triennium. It was a productive session – here’s a summary of some of the key decisions that were made –

Annual Report adoption

Council adopted the 2024/25 Annual Report. This important document, produced every year, outlines actual performance measured against what was forecast in the 2024/25 Enhanced Annual Plan. 

The Annual Report and Summary Annual Report were adopted with unmodified (“clean”) audit opinions, ahead of the local elections, allowing the outgoing Council to transparently close out the final full year of their triennium.

Here are just some of our key achievements from the previous year:

• Desludged Martinborough Wastewater Treatment Plant and had abatement notice lifted by Greater Wellington Regional Council.  
• Committed to a joint regional model for water services delivery with a proposed Tararua-Wairarapa Water Services Organisation alongside Carterton, Masterton and Tararua district councils.  
• Opened the new John Gray Pavilion at Soldiers Memorial Park in Greytown. 
• Resealed community hub carparks. 
• Installed emergency resource containers at Lake Ferry, Ngawi and Tora with Wairarapa Recovery Office.

The finalised 2024/25 Annual Report will be available on the council website within a month.


Cape Palliser Paper Road Bylaw adoption

The Cape Palliser Paper Road Bylaw was adopted following deliberations by the Strategy Working Committee on 24 September. The committee acknowledged the need for a balanced approach to access, environmental protection, and stakeholder engagement. The final Bylaw permits access for pedestrians, bicycles (including e-bikes) and horses, but restricts motorised vehicles.

The Bylaw will be in place for 24 months with effect from 1 December 2025. This timeframe will allow time to establish a stakeholder access group to consider options for future access and use of the road. The group will be comprised of groups such as Ngāti Hinewaka, Ngawi community/Ratepayers association, Council, Rural and Coastal Advisory Group, Department of Conservation, Walking Access Commission, Heritage NZ and the National 4-Wheel Drive Association.

Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw adoption

The Ngā Ture ā-Rohe Tōpu o Wairarapa: the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw 2025 was adopted, joining Masterton and Carterton District Councils that adopted theirs in recent weeks.

The Bylaw aims to minimise and mitigate risk relating to health and safety, nuisance, and offensive behaviour, and works to protect specified council infrastructure and activity. It includes sections covering sale of goods in public places, keeping of animals, public places, traffic, cemeteries and crematoria, beauty therapy, skin piercing and tattooing and trade waste.

In April 2024, the respective councils delegated authority to the Wairarapa Policy Working Group to support the review, consider the submissions from the public consultation and to make a recommendation back to the Wairarapa District Councils for adoption.

The updated Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw will apply from Saturday 1 November 2025.

For more information, read the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw adoption media release.

Water Services Entity governing documents approved

Council approved the Constitution and Shareholders’ Agreement for Wairarapa Tararua Water Limited (the working name for the regional Water Services Organisation).

Approving the company’s governing documentation was the first step in the legal establishment of the water services organisation and transition to progress to its next steps.

The Constitution of the company is a document that legally establishes the entity, sets out the objectives of the company at a high-level, and sets the rules of company governance. The Shareholders’ Agreement is a contract between the shareholders and sets out the details of how the relationship will work between the company shareholders and between the shareholders and the company. It also establishes the Stakeholders’ Forum, which is the representative forum of the shareholders and iwi representatives that provides the mechanism by which both exercise their powers in respect of the company.   

Where to find more information

The full meeting agenda with the decision reports can be read online in our meetings section: Council 8 October 2025

Like all of our meetings, they’re also available to watch on our YouTube channel: South Wairarapa District Council – YouTube