Northland Regional Council rates will rise 3.54 percent for the 2025/26 financial year - considerably less than a 5.79% increase previously forecast - under an Annual Plan adopted by councillors recently.

Council Chair Geoff Crawford says the increase - which accounts to an increase of $19.19c per rates bill on average over the next year - was originally forecast to be more than two percent higher under the council’s Long Term Plan 2024-2034 (LTP).

However, due to a combination of factors including efficiencies, savings and surpluses available to offset spending and funding shortfalls, councillors were pleased to be able to approve a lower rates rise.

"We know that many people are finding things difficult financially in the current climate and have worked hard to keep our rates increase as low as possible."

Chair Crawford says the following changes are included in the Annual Plan:

• Covering reduced cruise ship income ($491,961)
• Funding for Gold Clam response ($500,000)
• Covering reduced rent gains ($143,250)
• Covering increased inflation ($420,000) of operational expenditure
• Funding for Sea Cleaners and Native Bird Recovery Centre ($30,000)

"The combined changes, made up of both spending and funding shortfalls, comprised a total of $1,585,211 of operational spend to overall rates take for the 2025/25 financial year."

"However, this is offset, and rates reduced further, by around $2.3M of funding made up of previous LTP initiatives that are now redundant, budgetary reserves including surplus savings from the previous year, and unallocated funding."

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