Under its current plan, South Wairarapa council says it will raise rates an average 4.7 percent for the July 2025 – June 2026 year – a stark change of direction from the past two years.
As The Star reported last year: The 2024-25 rates “rise of 14.7% … will add to South Wairarapa’s reputation for rates hikes among the highest in New Zealand. In fact, the district’s overall rates have risen solidly since 2020 and this year (the 14.7%) comes on top of SWDC’s 19.8% hit on ratepayers last year (2023-24).”
Suddenly, collectively, SWDC councillors have hit the rates brakes in 2025.
Strategy Working Committee chair, Melissa Sadler-Futter, said the 4.7% proposed hike was the result of councillors and officials working “hard to limit the overall rates increase.”
“We have been very mindful of the impact of our decisions on ratepayers’ pockets. In the current economic climate, a rates increase of any size is something to carefully consider.”
In fact, some key changes came after the council consulted on its 10-year Long Term Plan, when it received 218 “full submissions” and 600 “form letters” of community feedback – which addressed six issues across “three decision areas.”
The outcome:
- the level of uniform rates will stay at 21% – not rise to the proposed 28%;
- the proposal of higher rates for those living within 10 km of the three main towns has been shelved – so the current funding model for council services and facilities won’t change;
- spend the minimum of $6.05 million on operating and maintaining water networks in the coming year – scrapping plans for more/higher cost upgrading;
- increase the capital budget to fund the full Low Cost – Low Risk road improvements programme;
- “refine” the definitions of exclusions applying to properties with more than one inhabitable unit (Separately Used or Inhabitable Part _ SUIP) to clarify the policy;
- change the Refuse and Recycling Charge back to per rating unit instead of per SUIP.
- One funding increase was acknowledged by the committee: an increase of $80,000 to a total $200,000 in the Community and Youth Grant budget for the coming year.
This was agreed instead of council entering agreed funding MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding) with community groups, which may have tied the hands of the next council.
The district’s three Community Boards were given some extra funding. Martinborough: to provide fencing for the small children’s area of the Waihinga playground – with no impact on rates; Featherston: approval to include the Featherston greenspace in the budget; Greytown: to extend the town’s Arbor Reserve, and delegate “beautification” to the Ccommunity Board.
The district’s Long Term Plan and the annual budget are due to be agreed and adopted on 25 June.
Separately, the annual rates impost on all property owners from Greater Wellington Regional Council is still to be announced.
