Kāpiti Coast District Council is calling for feedback on its draft Long-term Plan. Consultation will run from 7 April to 10 May.

The draft Long-term Plan lays out the mahi Council intends to do over the next 20 years. It details the planned activities, services and projects, how much things are likely to cost and how Council plans to pay for them.

Mayor K Gurunathan say there’s a lot to consider this Long-term Plan, from managing growth, to our COVID-19 response and recovery, to housing, through to responding to climate change. We’re dealing with some complex issues, so we need a bold plan to secure our future.

“We’re proposing an ambitious Capital Works programme to deliver projects that support recovery and provide the infrastructure renewals and upgrades we need to maintain core services and prepare for our district’s expected growth.

“In the last three years we’ve spent, on average, $23.2 million on capital works. For the first three years of this plan, we propose a capital expenditure programme of $221.5 million – an average of $73.8 million in each year.

“We’ve spent years managing our finances to improve our financial position and ensure we are ready for a time like this,” Mayor Gurunathan said.

“What we are proposing in this plan will have a direct impact on people’s rates (we’re proposing an average rates increase of 7.8 percent for 2021/22), the services and facilities we offer, and how we prioritise our mahi.

“The feedback we receive will help Councillors deliver the finalised Long-term Plan with confidence and a collective voice.”

Council is also inviting views on four key decisions: if Council should take a bigger role in improving access to housing; how best to proceed with the Paekākāriki seawall; whether a council-controlled organisation (CCO) would be helpful for future activities; and if Council should investigate how there might be a role for the Council in the airport to keep services going.

“These are big questions and the first two key decisions – our role in housing and the Paekākāriki Seawall - will involve capital spending so it’s important that we hear from our community as this will have a direct impact on rates,” Mayor Gurunathan said.

“Work to establish a CCO and explore ways for Council to have a role in the future of the airport could be funded from existing operational budgets – there would be no direct impact on rates during the investigation stages.”

Copies of the consultation document are available at Council service centres, pools and libraries. The document can also be accessed online at kapiticoast.govt.nz/longtermplan.

Feedback on the draft plan can be provided online or in writing, or in person at one of the Council’s Long-term Plan community pop-ups.

Following consultation all feedback will be reviewed and Council, as the community’s elected representatives, will meet again in June to discuss the adoption of a final Long-term Plan 2021-41.

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