Love This Place: 2024 -2034 Long Term Plan

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Council adopts plans for the next 10 years

During 2023 and 2024, we prepared our Long Term Plan for 2024-34, and we asked you what you thought about our plan through the Love This Place consultation document during March and April 2024.

On 27 June 2024, we adopted our Long Term Plan. It’s our key planning document that outlines our work programme and strategic direction for the 2024 to 2034 ten year period. This came into effect on 1 July 2024. 2024-34 Long Term Plan

You told us what you think | Kua kōrero mai koe ōu whakaaro, tēnā rawa atu koe

Thanks for providing your feedback on our plans for 2024-34. We read and listened to all feedback at a hearing in May 2024, and then made decisions on our final plan. You can view our completed long term plan document on this page.

If you requested to be notified of the decisions about your feedback, keep an eye on your inbox or mailbox – we will be notifying you individually of the outcome of your feedback in July 2024.

Our Long Term Plan 2024-34 | Tō Mātou Mahere Roa 2024-34

During the feedback period we received some great suggestions and comments, which really helped with our decision-making. After listening to everyone’s thoughts and ideas, we made some key decisions. You can read about the key decisions below:

Rates increases

We proposed in our Love This Place consultation document that rates would need to increase 17.4% in year 1 (2024/25) of the Long Term Plan just to continue to provide the services at the standard our community currently expect. This was largely due to the impacts of inflation, interest and depreciation (all things outside of our control). We also needed to upgrade our wastewater treatment (with significant cost in replacing the Paeroa wastewater treatment plant) to ensure we meet growth and increasing central government regulations.

Western Plains Primary Stopbanks

We proposed that to maintain the current level of service of Land Drainage for the Western Plains Drainage District we would need to increase how much we top up our stopbanks to respond to climate change. Our community agreed with our plans and this work is scheduled to begin in year 10 of our long term plan. We currently maintain these stopbanks to 3.0 metres and we will slowly increase this to RL 4.0 metres in height (Tararu datum).

Waihī Art Centre and Museum

Council owns the Waihī Art Centre and Museum building, we proposed in our Love This Place consultation document that our preferred option was to bring this building up to required minimum (34% of code) seismic strengthening work. Our communities agreed with us and this work is scheduled for year 10 of our long term plan, this is in anticipation that there will be a greater allowance of time to complete this work by central government. Council will continue to maintain this building in the interim which includes a replacement of the roof in 2024/25.

We also adopted the following…

2024/25 Fees and charges

We asked for feedback from the community on our proposed fees and charges for 2024/25 these were adopted alongside our 2024-34 LTP and can be viewed here 2024/25 Fees and Charges.

Rates Remission and Postponement Policies

We proposed some tweaks to our Rates Remission and Postponement Policies, these policies were adopted alongside our 2024-34 LTP and can be viewed here Rates Remission and Postponement Policies

Development Contributions Policy

We also reviewed our Development Contributions Policy and this was adopted alongside our 2024-34 Long Term Plan. The updated Policy can be viewed here Development Contributions Policy.

Council adopts plans for the next 10 years

During 2023 and 2024, we prepared our Long Term Plan for 2024-34, and we asked you what you thought about our plan through the Love This Place consultation document during March and April 2024.

On 27 June 2024, we adopted our Long Term Plan. It’s our key planning document that outlines our work programme and strategic direction for the 2024 to 2034 ten year period. This came into effect on 1 July 2024. 2024-34 Long Term Plan

You told us what you think | Kua kōrero mai koe ōu whakaaro, tēnā rawa atu koe

Thanks for providing your feedback on our plans for 2024-34. We read and listened to all feedback at a hearing in May 2024, and then made decisions on our final plan. You can view our completed long term plan document on this page.

If you requested to be notified of the decisions about your feedback, keep an eye on your inbox or mailbox – we will be notifying you individually of the outcome of your feedback in July 2024.

Our Long Term Plan 2024-34 | Tō Mātou Mahere Roa 2024-34

During the feedback period we received some great suggestions and comments, which really helped with our decision-making. After listening to everyone’s thoughts and ideas, we made some key decisions. You can read about the key decisions below:

Rates increases

We proposed in our Love This Place consultation document that rates would need to increase 17.4% in year 1 (2024/25) of the Long Term Plan just to continue to provide the services at the standard our community currently expect. This was largely due to the impacts of inflation, interest and depreciation (all things outside of our control). We also needed to upgrade our wastewater treatment (with significant cost in replacing the Paeroa wastewater treatment plant) to ensure we meet growth and increasing central government regulations.

Western Plains Primary Stopbanks

We proposed that to maintain the current level of service of Land Drainage for the Western Plains Drainage District we would need to increase how much we top up our stopbanks to respond to climate change. Our community agreed with our plans and this work is scheduled to begin in year 10 of our long term plan. We currently maintain these stopbanks to 3.0 metres and we will slowly increase this to RL 4.0 metres in height (Tararu datum).

Waihī Art Centre and Museum

Council owns the Waihī Art Centre and Museum building, we proposed in our Love This Place consultation document that our preferred option was to bring this building up to required minimum (34% of code) seismic strengthening work. Our communities agreed with us and this work is scheduled for year 10 of our long term plan, this is in anticipation that there will be a greater allowance of time to complete this work by central government. Council will continue to maintain this building in the interim which includes a replacement of the roof in 2024/25.

We also adopted the following…

2024/25 Fees and charges

We asked for feedback from the community on our proposed fees and charges for 2024/25 these were adopted alongside our 2024-34 LTP and can be viewed here 2024/25 Fees and Charges.

Rates Remission and Postponement Policies

We proposed some tweaks to our Rates Remission and Postponement Policies, these policies were adopted alongside our 2024-34 LTP and can be viewed here Rates Remission and Postponement Policies

Development Contributions Policy

We also reviewed our Development Contributions Policy and this was adopted alongside our 2024-34 Long Term Plan. The updated Policy can be viewed here Development Contributions Policy.

Ask us a question about the LTP

Do you want to know more about the LTP or have a burning question please let us know here and we will respond to you. If it is something we think other will want to know the answer to we will make the question and answer public.

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  • Share What is the council doing to help the community through this difficult/hardship time? We seem to have an increase in rates and increase in cost of rubbish fees to name a couple of areas. I'm sure there are other areas people could query also. You are adding to the cost of living for our communities. on Facebook Share What is the council doing to help the community through this difficult/hardship time? We seem to have an increase in rates and increase in cost of rubbish fees to name a couple of areas. I'm sure there are other areas people could query also. You are adding to the cost of living for our communities. on Twitter Share What is the council doing to help the community through this difficult/hardship time? We seem to have an increase in rates and increase in cost of rubbish fees to name a couple of areas. I'm sure there are other areas people could query also. You are adding to the cost of living for our communities. on Linkedin Email What is the council doing to help the community through this difficult/hardship time? We seem to have an increase in rates and increase in cost of rubbish fees to name a couple of areas. I'm sure there are other areas people could query also. You are adding to the cost of living for our communities. link

    What is the council doing to help the community through this difficult/hardship time? We seem to have an increase in rates and increase in cost of rubbish fees to name a couple of areas. I'm sure there are other areas people could query also. You are adding to the cost of living for our communities.

    Tarn asked over 1 year ago

    Kia ora Tarn, thanks for your question on our 2024-34 Long Term Plan.  We are aware everyone is feeling the pinch and unfortunately Council is not immune. Council is facing the same increase in costs as everyone else from the cost of replacing a road to increased interest cost on our debt (just like those with mortgages are facing). If our communities want us to keep providing all the services we do then they have to be paid for. This is the opportunity to have your say if there is a service you would like to see us deliver, deliver differently or stop altogether.  Please provide your feedback through our LTP feedback form on this page so it can be considered when Councillors are making their decisions for our plans for the next 10 years.

  • Share What happens with the profits council are making in the Ngatea housing development and will this go towards keeping rates down? on Facebook Share What happens with the profits council are making in the Ngatea housing development and will this go towards keeping rates down? on Twitter Share What happens with the profits council are making in the Ngatea housing development and will this go towards keeping rates down? on Linkedin Email What happens with the profits council are making in the Ngatea housing development and will this go towards keeping rates down? link

    What happens with the profits council are making in the Ngatea housing development and will this go towards keeping rates down?

    Tarn asked over 1 year ago

    Kia ora Tarn, thanks for your question on our 2024-34 Long Term Plan. All sales from the sub-divisions in Ngatea go back into reducing the debt held by Council this means a reduction in what all ratepayers pay towards this debt. So in short yes the money from this development helps bring down the rates. 

Page last updated: 11 Jul 2024, 01:33 PM