If you’re still on the sidelines over water meters in every home, higher pools charges, extending the Coastal Walkway to Waitara or a host of other hot issues that could hit you in the pocket with a 12% rates rise, then the Easter break is your last chance to have a say before the short survey on NPDC’s draft 10-Year Plan closes on Tuesday 6 April at 5pm (the Tuesday after Easter).

“There’s about a week left to tell us what you think and if you’re stuck in the mindset that nobody listens, then you’re dead wrong. We want to know what the public appetite is for these important work programmes that will shape the quality of infrastructure and services in our district for years to come and Councillors are already wading through each piece of feedback, line by line, as they ponder what’s in and what’s out of the approximately $3 billion proposed plan,” says New Plymouth District Mayor Neil Holdom.

If passed, the draft budget for the next decade would mean a 12% rates rise over the next year – or about $231 for the average urban household – followed by an average 6% rise over the next nine years. The big calls include proposals for:

· $248 million to Fix the Plumbing and bring our rundown drinking water, wastewater and stormwater pipes up to scratch, plus water meters in every home at a cost of $18 million to make us more water efficient, and another $20 million to improve Waitara’s stormwater system.

· Paying it Forward for our kids with a $40 million investment in a multi-purpose hub.

· Greening our Place with the Coastal Walkway extension to Waitara and the Taranaki Traverse costing $36m together, about $2 million to start planting on 34 hectares of urban forest, and $1 million to electrify the NPDC car fleet.

Another feature of this draft plan is proposing more debt funding, to the tune of about $31 million, so we share the burden among different generations of ratepayers.

It’s Your Home and to have Your Say head to newplymouthnz.com/10years and fill in the short survey and go in the draw to win a share of $2000 worth of grocery vouchers.

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