Average 3.99% Rate Increase in Long Term Plan Proposal

Stimulating economic growth, compliance with new environmental legislation, town centre upgrades and affordability were the key themes guiding South Taranaki District Councillors as they adopted their proposed 2021 – 2031 Long Term Plan for public consultation at yesterday’s extraordinary council meeting.

For South Taranaki ratepayers, the result is an average rate increase of 3.99% each year over the next ten years the lowest in the region.

South Taranaki Mayor Phil Nixon says the Council’s vision is to make South Taranaki the most liveable District in New Zealand.

“Over the past decade we’ve focussed on upgrading the District’s water infrastructure, key community facilities and implementing projects to make South Taranaki a desirable place to live and do business. We now have a much-improved water network and, since our last Long Term Plan three years ago, we have progressed the Hāwera Town Centre redevelopment, Te Ramanui o Ruapūtahanga and the Nukumaru Station Road extension projects,” says Phil.

“Our focus for the next ten years is to complete these key projects, continue to upgrade our three waters infrastructure with a focus on wastewater, increase our spend on roading, implement our environment and sustainability strategy and create the conditions that encourage sustainable economic growth in the right places, with projects such as the South Taranaki Business Park and town centre upgrades for Manaia, Eltham, Ōpunakē, Pātea and Waverley.”

“At the same time we know we need to keep rates at an affordable level, so we are proposing to fund our key projects with a combination of loans, external funding sources and earnings from the Long Term Investment Fund, rather than through rates,” he says.

“We believe our Long Term Plan proposal strikes the right balance between progress, affordability and providing the services and facilities our communities expect, but we want to know what our residents think.”

Mayor Nixon says the Council’s proposed 2021-2031 Long Term Plan will be available for comment from 31 March until 7 May 2021. Along with a series of public meetings a Consultation Document outlining key issues and proposals in the Plan and the impact on rates will be in the 8 April edition of the Taranaki Star, in Council LibraryPlus facilities and on the Council website www.southtaranaki.com

Public Meetings

Waverley – Tuesday 30 March, 5:30pm, Waverley Community Centre

Patea – Tuesday 6 April, 5:30pm, Hunter Shaw Building

Opunake – Monday 12 April, 7:00pm, Sandfords Event Centre

Hawera – Tuesday 13 April, 5:30pm, TSB Hub Western Lounge

Eltham – Wednesday 14 April, 6:00pm, Taumata Recreation Centre

Waitotara – Monday 19 April, 5:30pm, Waitotara Hall

Manaia – Thursday 22 April, 5:30pm, Manaia Golf Club

Kaponga – Tuesday 27 April, 5:30pm, Kaponga Town Hall

Coastal Taranaki – Thursday 29 April, 10am, Cape Egmont Boat Club

Casual ‘coffee’ Meetings

Pātea – Wednesday 31 March, 10.30am, Pātea LibraryPlus, Egmont Street, Pātea

Hāwera – Friday 9 April, 10am, Hāwera LibraryPlus, High Street, Hāwera

Manaia – Tuesday 13 April, 1pm, Manaia LibraryPlus, South Road, Manaia

Eltham – Wednesday 21 April, 10.30am, Eltham LibraryPlus, High Street, Eltham

Kāponga - Friday 30 April, 3pm, Kāponga LibraryPlus

Waverley – Wednesday 5 May, 10.30am, Waverley LibraryPlus, Weraroa Road, Waverley

Ōpunakē – Thursday 6 May, 10am, Ōpunakē LibraryPlus, Tasman Street, Ōpunakē