Kaipara District Council is reviewing its Revenue and Financing Policy and will soon be consulting with residents and ratepayers on the proposed changes.

The Revenue and Financing Policy sets out how each council activity is funded and why.

Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson said that the review has come about after listening to community feedback during the Long Term Plan 2024–2027 process.

“We heard loud and clear from members of the community and agreed that we would review the policy in the coming year. In particular, the key feedback was to have a look at the way we calculate general rates and consider a move from rating on land value (LV) to rating on capital value (CV).”

Land value (LV) is the value of your land. Capital value (CV) is the land value plus improvements made to the land, such as buildings. Kaipara District Council is one of a minority of district councils still using land value to calculate the general rate.

Mayor Jepson also highlighted that “it’s really important for people to know that this review is not about increasing the total amount of rates. It’s thinking about what the most fair and equitable way to divide rates is.”

Elected members will adopt the draft policy to go out for consultation this month. Consultation is planned to open in early November and run until mid-December.

The next council briefing to discuss the review is planned for 16 October. Further information will soon be available online at kaipara.govt.nz/haveyoursay 

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