They say goals without plans are just wishes, which certainly rings true in Local Government.

Horowhenua District Council moved a step closer to achieving its goals for the next year when it adopted its Annual Plan and set fees and charges for 2025/26 at a Council meeting on 14 May.

The Annual Plan is Year 2 of the Long Term Plan 2024-2044, so it builds on the work and feedback Council received from the community during consultation last year. Council made the decision to not consult on the Annual Plan 2025/26 in December 2024 due to it closely following the budget and plan for year 2 of the LTP that was adopted in June 2024. The Local Government Act recognises that where Councils are sticking with the Long Term Plan and not making significant or material changes, consultation is not needed.

When talking about rates and rates increases, the analogy of a ‘pie’ is often used. The size of the pie represents the rates income for next year, and the slices of the pie represent the average rates increase per ratepayer. When adopting the Annual Plan on 14 May, Council agreed the size of the pie.

On 25 June, when the most up to date data on the number of rating units, valuation of new rating units and new houses is received by Council, it will set the rates and the pie will be sliced based on the total number of rating units at that date.

Confirmed in the Annual Plan is a 10.2% increase in the total rates or size of the pie, which is smaller than the 11.6% forecast in the LTP. Residents who are connected to water and wastewater services will see a higher increase as the majority of our cost increases (just over 85%) this year are related to providing water and wastewater services.

Therefore, residents who are not connected to water and wastewater services will see a much lower increase this year. Council is one step closer to giving that clarity to the community.

Rates at a property level will be agreed in June. You will be able to see your estimated rates for 2025/26 from 3 June at ratesinformation.horowhenua.govt.nz.

Mayor Bernie Wanden says the Annual Plan is an important tool for Council and the community alike as they look to the future together.

“It’s a challenging process, balancing the wants and needs of the district with affordability, but we believe we have struck a good balance and we have remained committed to what we promised in the Long Term Plan,” he says.

“We’ve tried our absolute best to reduce the rates rise while still investing in core infrastructure and delivering a wide range of services, ensuring this remains a great place to live, work, and play.”

Council also set the fees and charges for 2025/26. Fees and charges ensure costs are fairly split between users and the rest of the community. For example, we charge for the use of a public pool to help pay for some of the costs of running it.

Legally, the proposed Food Act and Resource Management Act related fees had to be consulted on. Council asked the community for feedback on these, as well as all other proposed fees, and three submissions were received.

Minor changes to the proposed fees and charges presented to Council in December 2024 were recommended.

The entry fee for Shannon Pool was adjusted from $2.10 to $2 following community feedback. With restricted payment options available at the facility and users paying with cash, rounding the fee to a whole dollar makes it more practical and convenient for the community.

The Foxton Pools fee was changed from $5.70 to $5.60 to align with charges at the Levin Aquatic Centre.

The full list of adopted fees and charges for 2025/26 will be advertised to the public before coming into effect on 1 July 2025.

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