Taupō District Council yesterday adopted its Annual Plan for the 2025/26 year.

The Annual Plan process provides Council the ability to set both the rates and the fees and charges for the next year.

In its Long-term Plan 2024-34, Council forecast an 8.3 percent rates increase for the financial year beginning today. The final rates increase is 0.1 percent higher at 8.4 percent.

In the nine months between the Long-term Plan being adopted and the Annual Plan, there have been a number of unplanned increases to essential business costs, mostly driven by central government requirements as well as rises in contract costs. Staff worked hard to find budget reductions and trade-offs to find a balance.

The changes mean there will be a slower pace of delivering some projects although key commitments in the Long-term Plan, such as water treatment plant upgrades, will still be delivered.

Councillors said putting up rates was a difficult decision because many of the unplanned costs have arisen due to new central government requirements. Councils are primarily funded by rates and therefore have no other way to pay for the increased costs involved in projects such as government water reform. Mayor David Trewavas summed up councillors’ sentiment towards unfunded government directives, saying “stop flogging us at every opportunity”.

After rates were charged in three instalments last year due to late adoption of the Long-term Plan, rates instalments for the 2025-26 year will revert to the usual quarterly pattern of August, November, February and May. There are also various options for people to pay monthly, fortnightly or even weekly.

For people struggling to pay their rates, Department of Internal Affairs administers a rates rebate scheme which was extended to more SuperGold cardholders in last month’s Budget. You can find out more information about the scheme here: www.govt.nz/browse/housing-and-property/getting-help-with-housing/getting-a-rates-rebate/

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