South Wairarapa District Council has adopted the consultation document for the 2025/34 Long-Term Plan ahead of public consultation opening Friday 7 March, where the community can have their say on a number of proposals will influence activities, services and investment across the district over the next nine years.
For the 2025/26 year, Council is proposing a total rates increase of 4.3%, or $1.24 million. This is based on the budgeted options outlined in the consultation document. The individual impact on ratepayers will depend on property value and infrastructure connections. The final increase will depend on the decisions Council make during deliberations in response to community feedback.
“We know South Wairarapa ratepayers have faced unsustainable rates increases over the past few years. We’ve landed in a place which reflects the investment needed to meet regulatory requirements set by Central Government, along with inflationary pressures to maintain our assets and continue to deliver our core services” said Sadler-Futter.
Deputy Mayor Melissa Sadler-Futter invites the community to share their views with the Council throughout the consultation.
“Who knows our community better than you? Your feedback will help shape the future, so let’s chat. This plan is only a draft proposal, and by no means set in stone, so if you have strong views, please come and talk to us throughout the consultation period.” says Sadler-Futter.
The proposals in the document cover a range of topics that are important to the community –
- Alternative ways to distribute rates
- Operating our water network
- Prioritising our roading improvements
One of the proposals includes investing $5.2m of capital spend to complete the full Low Cost Low Risk roading programme, after the funding request was declined by NZTA due to ongoing reprioritisation in Central Government agencies. To defer this work into future funding rounds would result in reduced resilience to the roading network.
It also proposes some changes to the way some rates are distributed. “After recognising that moving from rating based on land value to capital value may have disproportionately impacted some more than others, we’ve looked at aways to address this. We’d love to hear about whether the options are a move in the right direction,” said Sadler-Futter.
While the document outlines options Council thinks work best, a requirement of the Local Government Act 2002, the community is encouraged to share their thoughts across all options, to be considered during deliberations ahead of the Long-Term Plan being finalised.
“We have gathered your feedback over the past two years to help shape a Long-Term Plan that we feel reflects our community’s needs and aspirations on a roadmap for the next nine years, guiding smart investments so our district thrives,” says Sadler-Futter.
How can you have your say?
- Come to one of our community drop in sessions to talk to elected members.
- Visit haveyoursay.swdc.govt.nz to read the consultation document and complete an online submission form.
- Pop into any of our three libraries or the council office at 19 Kitchener Street, Martinborough to pick up a paper submission form.
Consultation runs until Sunday 6 April. The Long-Term Plan will be adopted in June 2025.
ENDS
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