Hawke’s Bay Regional Council today adopted its Annual Plan 2025-26 for public consultation.

The proposed Annual Plan includes an average rate rise of 9.9 percent – a significant change from the 18.3 percent average rates increase originally forecast for 2025-26.

Council Chair Hinewai Ormsby says: “I am really pleased that we have managed to reduce the scale of the proposed rate by such a large amount. To do this we have made some tough decisions and trade-offs across the services Council delivers.”

“We’ve nearly halved the forecast average increase to less than 10 percent. However, some Hastings district ratepayers will also see a higher targeted rate for Mangarau Stream flood resilience. This project is delivered by Hastings District Council but funded through Regional Council as part of Cyclone recovery agreements with the Crown.”

The impact of reducing the budget and achieving savings of $4 million is the reduction of services in some areas, she says. The Annual Plan prioritises climate resilience and financial responsibility with a focus on delivering time-critical flood infrastructure projects from Wairoa to Pōrangahau.

“Prioritising what matters the most to the people of our region is why we want to hear from you and to tell us – have we got it right?” says Mrs Ormsby. “We are also seeking feedback on some proposed rate changes and on the Regional Public Transport Plan 2025-2035.”

“We are setting ourselves up – reducing budgets, refining policies, and reprioritising effort – so we can deliver a significant flood resilience infrastructure and even more importantly prepare for the bigger conversations and costs we need to reimagine flood resilience and water shortage resilience.”

Public consultation runs from 31 March to 2 May 2025.

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