South Wairarapa District Council is pleased to present its Annual Report for the financial year from 1
July 2024 to 30 June 2025. The finalised 2024/25 Annual Report will be available on the council
website within a month. Once released, we invite our community to explore the work and
achievements contained within it. The Annual Report and Summary Annual Report were adopted
with unmodified (“clean”) audit opinions on 8 October, ahead of the local elections, allowing the
outgoing Council to transparently close out the final full year of its triennium.

The Annual Report shows the Council’s actual performance measured against performance
measures in year four of the 2021–31 Long-Term Plan and the financial forecasts in the 2024/25
Enhanced Annual Plan.

“The Annual Report reflects our steady commitment to accountability, community engagement and
improvement, showing how we have achieved goals, managed public funds and worked to build a
sustainable future for South Wairarapa,” says Council Chief Executive Janice Smith.

This year’s biggest focus was on essential services and preparation for future change. The deferral of
the Long-Term Plan in early 2024 allowed immediate priorities to take a front seat in the adoption of
an Enhanced Annual Plan.

The Council adopted the 2025-34 Long-Term Plan in June this year. It lays out a clear direction for
the next nine years in planning, financial stewardship and consultation with the most important
stakeholders of all – the community.

“We celebrated achievements for our community over the past year with new facilities and by
strengthening our emergency response capabilities,” says Smith.

“This year’s financial results closely matched what we set out in the budget, reflecting honest,
transparent reporting and careful budget planning. That financial stability meant we could keep
investing in the things that matter – like safer roads, and improved community spaces that bring
people together. However, our non-financial performance in water activities fell short of
expectations, with several key performance indicators missed. This was largely due to historically
low capital investment in renewals. We acknowledge this gap and are actively working to improve
water infrastructure and outcomes in the period leading up to transition.”

The Council also improved financial and human resources systems, launched a new community
engagement platform, implemented a Māori Engagement Framework, enhanced IT systems and
moved forward with solutions to the organisation’s building health and safety issues.


Snapshot of Council projects over the past 12 months

• Featherston Wastewater Treatment Plant’s 10-year consent notification progressed.
• Opened the new John Gray Pavilion at Soldiers Memorial Park in Greytown.
• Began work to upgrade Joy Cowley Playground in Featherston.
• Resealed community hub carparks.
• Renewed signs across the district for better visibility and consistency.
• Desludged Martinborough Wastewater Treatment Plant and had abatement notice lifted
  by Greater Wellington Regional Council.
• Committed to a joint regional model for water services with a proposed TararuaWairarapa Water Services Organisation with Carterton, Masterton and Tararua councils.
• Confirmed Greytown Soldiers Memorial Park for the town’s water supply upgrade.
• Cleared over 26 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from the south coast.
• Joined a tyre stewardship programme to make tyre disposal free.
• Increased Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) with Wellington Free Ambulance.
• Installed emergency resource containers at Lake Ferry, Ngawi and Tora with Wairarapa
  Recovery Office.
• Hosted a Funders’ Forum to broaden funding opportunities for the community.
• Consulted with community on representation arrangements for 2025 and 2028.
• Reaffirmed commitment to a Māori Ward (Te Karu o Te Ika a Māui) for 2025 triennium.
  

Residents’ Satisfaction Survey

The 2025 Residents’ Survey was conducted to measure how well the Council met its Key Performance Indicators and showed strong satisfaction across areas including libraries (in top spot with 87% satisfaction), parks and reserves (85%), sports fields (83%) and playgrounds (80%). Street cleanliness and waste collection showed the highest satisfaction since monitoring began. 

“We supported 28 groups and individuals with nearly $700,000 in grants for projects from the new Ngahuia Wild Bird Rescue and free piano lessons for all age groups to Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival. We also launched Fund Finder to broaden funding sources for the community.”

Funds and grants administered by the Council – 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025  

• Community and Youth Grant $120,000 – funds from the Council’s Enhanced Annual Plan 

• Creative Communities Scheme $17,220 – funds from central Government 

• Sport NZ Rural Travel Fund $6,000 – funds from Sport NZ 

• Community Wellbeing Fund $500,000 – funds from central Government 

• Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough Community Board grants $65,838.32 

“The Annual Report shows our firm commitment to South Wairarapa residents and visitors alike.”