Waimakariri Elections: How To Keep Rates Down In A Growth Region

Tuesday, 26 August 2025, 10:39 am
Article: David Hill - Local Democracy Reporter

Managing growth while not hitting ratepayers in the backpocket is the biggest challenge facing the Waimakariri District Council, chief executive Jeff Millward says. 

The Waimakariri district is home to 72,000 residents and is projected to grow to nearly 100,000 by 2050, with housing booms in Rangiora, Pegasus and Kaiapoi. 

‘‘Managing this growth will shape how residents experience and interact with the council going forward,’’ Mr Millward said, as he looks ahead to October’s local government election. 

‘‘A growing district, especially one experiencing mostly urban growth, can be challenging to manage.

‘‘Residents continue to expect high levels of infrastructure and services while also wanting to retain the characteristics that attracted them to the region in the first-place.’’ 

To support this growth, land has been opened up for between 14,000 and 17,000 houses in the new District Plan, which was adopted in June. It followed the adoption of this year’s 2025/26 annual plan, which had an average rate rise of 4.98 percent, one of the lowest in the country. 

Supporting growth means the council faces challenges with transport, water services, climate change and rising costs, Mr Millward said. 

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is planning the much anticipated Woodend Bypass, which is intended to divert traffic from Woodend’s town centre and support growth in Woodend, Ravenswood and Pegasus.

The council is continuing to work on plans for the proposed Rangiora eastern link road and lobby for other projects to ease congestion and accommodate growth. 

The council is beefing up its in-house water services business unit, in line with the Government’s Local Water Done Well legislation. 

Waimakariri’s water services plan was accepted by the Department of Internal Affairs in July and followed consultation, where 97.2% of submitters backed the council’s plan. 

The Waimakariri District Council joined with other Canterbury councils in forming the Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan, which was launched in December, to address climate change. 

Mr Millward said the council is facing pressure from rising costs for goods and services, insurance and infrastructure, as well as ‘‘unfunded mandates’’, where costs are passed on by central Government. 

At the same time, councils are facing pressure to keep rate rises down, with the Government proposing a rates cap. 

The average residential property in the Waimakariri district pays $11.52 a day in rates, or around 3% of the average household income of $132,000. 

This includes $1.82 for roads and footpaths, $0.61 for libraries, $0.49 for swimming pools, $0.94 for stormwater drainage, $1.53 for sewerage, $1.73 for water, $0.80 for waste collection and $0.34 for earthquake recovery. 

Mr Millward said council debt to the end of June was $220m, with the 2024/34 Long Term Plan proposing it will peak at $324m, which will be a ratio of around 160% of debt to income. 

The council is paying around $30,000 interest a day to service its debt, which equates to about $1 a day or $365 a year per ratepayer, across about 30,000 ratepayers. 

There are two candidates for mayor - Dan Gordon and Paul Williams, and elections in the Kaiapoi-Woodend, Rangiora-Ashley and Ohoka-Ohoka wards. All four community boards will require an election, including Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi, Woodend-Sefton, Rangiora-Ashley and Oxford-Ohoka. 

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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