Christchurch City Council is trialling a new online rates tool developed in partnership with Environment Canterbury.
Council says the rates tool gives Christchurch property owners a combined view of their rates bill online, and allows them to see how their rates help to fund the services their two local Councils provide.
“We’ve released an early version for community feedback to see whether people find the rates tool useful and to help guide any improvements,” it said in a statement.
How it works
Visit viewmyrates.canterburymaps.govt.nz and start entering any Christchurch address in the search bar.
Select a matching address from the dropdown list, and the page will automatically update with the property’s details.
The tool provides a breakdown of the 2021/22 property rates, with menus that expand to show how each Council spends the rates, and links to further information.
Things to note
- Those on a laptop or desktop device will also be able to see a list of all Council portfolios, along with a ‘bubble view’ of projects in the current Long-term Plan.
- To select a different property, scroll up to the top of the page and select ‘Clear address’ on the right, or simply refresh the page.
- The rates tool won’t be able to show rates details for addresses outside of Christchurch.
Both Environment Canterbury and Christchurch City Council have been using the same technology to provide residents more insight into the projects and budgets that were proposed in their 2021-31 Long-term Plans.
“The rates tool repurposes the existing technology and information, by linking it to individual property rates,” Council said.
“The collaboration between Councils on a digital tool is a first, and a logical step to provide more transparency and value to ratepayers.”
The rates tool is not yet finalised, with Council saying that community feedback will be used to guide further development and improvements.
To try out the rates tool and provide feedback, visit viewmyrates.canterburymaps.govt.nz and fill out the online feedback form before 28 February 2022.
