Philip Jacobs

During the Whakatāne District Council’s 2025-26 Annual Plan development (not yet finalised) council seem to have settled on a proposed average 11.7 percent rates rise for next year.

An 11.7 percent rise on top of this year’s 15.0 percent average rates rise is equivalent to 13.5 percent (ie, just 10 percent less in dollar value).

So, if you paid $4000 in rates in 2023-24 and are now paying $4600 in rates during 2024-25, expect an increase of about $540 for next year, bringing your total rates for 2025-26 up to about $5140.

And for 2026-27, the council’s long-term plan has scheduled a further 9.4 percent rates increase, bringing the bill up to $5620 – a 41 percent overall increase in three years.

The question is, why are so many average people with average houses and average incomes in Whakatāne now paying $100 a week in rent to the Whakatāne District Council, just to live in their own home?

Why are Whakatāne’s residential rates the most expensive in the country? Do the mayor and councillors not understand what affordability means to pensioners, first-home buyers, families with young children, people on Government benefits and others less fortunate?

Directly or indirectly, they are all ratepayers with financial struggles impacted by council rates.

But all is not lost, the 2025-26 Annual Plan (and rates rise) will likely not be finalised until the scheduled council meeting on June 26, so there is still time to do something about it.

But, if six or more councillors cannot be convinced to raise their hands on your behalf at the May 8 meeting and say “no – the proposed annual plan and rates rise is not acceptable”, then no change to the annual plan and proposed 11.7 percent rates rise is likely to occur.

To be clear, the annual plan is not just about the rates rise for next year.

It is also about council staff numbers, service provisions, its operating deficit, capital works program and ever-expanding council debt.

All these measures, to one degree or another, are out of control and only following the recent example of the Timaru District Council (where 71 staff positions are to be eliminated and spending is to be cut back) will make positive changes to all the financial metrics. If you are concerned about the proposed annual plan and its 11.7 percent annual rates rise for 2025-26, please email the mayor and councillors and give them your comments.

Also, express your concerns in a letter to the Beacon, join in social media discussions and attend the penultimate 2025-26 Annual Plan council meeting on May 8 to express your concern just by being there.

Whether or not you take any action to protest over the next few weeks about the proposed rates rise, and the council’s ongoing disastrous financial management, please start thinking about voting for a new mayor and councillors in the October elections.

If your councillors will not, then the community needs to say “no” by forcing meaningful representation change.

And if you don’t do anything now about ongoing rates rises, and you don’t vote for new representatives in the council elections, then please pay your rates for the next three years without complaining.

Don’t whinge.