Our draft Annual Plan for the 2023/24 Financial Year outlines the cost of the activities we undertake, and the projects we plan to do and therefore the financial direction for the Waitomo District Council.
The draft Annual Plan highlights any major change from our 10 Year Plan and ensures that Council is still on track towards achieving its community outcomes and priorities set in the 10 Year Plan.

The Annual Plan will be final-ised in May 2023 following community consultation and it will be adopted by Council in June 2023.
There are no individually significant variations planned compared to the 2022-2023 year, however overall the increase in costs associated with delivering our services has impacted the rates revenue requirement.

Rates affordability is a key consideration for Council. The unavoidable impact of inflation and rising costs means we are facing an average rate increase of 5.91% for the Waitomo District, which is above the forecasted rise of 4.37% in the 10 Year Plan.

With the impact of multiple severe weather events, central and local government reforms we must prepare for an uncertain future. The best way we can do this is to build-up our resilience. The projects and work programmes in the draft Annual Plan help deliver this.

Your feedback on our work programme is being asked for to ensure that we are meeting the community’s expectations for the year ahead.
Rates are calculated on property values and the ser-vices available to that property, therefore rate increases affect every property a little bit differently.

To have more properties closer to the average rate increase of 5.91% across the District, Council proposes to lower the Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC) (ie the fixed charge to each rateable property) to help achieve this.

We are also asking if you agree that we should use this approach to adjust the rate increases between proper-ties.
Inflation also has an impact on the value of our assets, due to the significant movement in the value of our major assets being roads, 3 waters infrastructure, land and buildings.

We have been able to reduce the depreciation impact on rates by proposing a policy change for rates which fund the replacement of 3 Waters’ assets.

We continue to deliver services and projects that will benefit our community now and in the future. This year and next year’s projects are no exception.

We look forward to working with our community through a year that will be challenging but exciting as we continue our journey together.

Visit our consultation page for more information

Read our Consultation Document (PDF 8.88 MB)