Waikato District Council has opened consultation on its draft 2025-2034 Long Term Plan (LTP), which outlines the Council’s proposed priorities, projects and spending over the next years.
Mayor Jacqui Church (pictured) said affordability was the primary concern during discussions in the Council Chambers. She said the Council remained committed throughout the development of the LTP to maintaining essential services while also being mindful of keeping the impact on ratepayers as low as possible.
“Our Council has carefully balanced the district’s varied needs and wants when prioritising budgets for projects, services and activities for this LTP,” says Mayor Church.
“We have worked hard to keep rates increases modest, and now it’s vital our communities give feedback and let us know if we have found the right balance.”
The Mayor said the plan is one of Council’s most important planning tools used to shape the future of the district and ensure its growth is well-managed and sustainable. She said it focuses on getting the essentials right, while acknowledging the district is growing and changing quickly.
“Important investment is needed in infrastructure, services, and the facilities that residents and communities rely on.”
“Some projects have been removed or reprioritised to make savings where we can. We have also introduced new roading contracts to drive greater efficiencies, and reviewed internal council operations to keep costs down.”
In year one (2025/26) there is a proposed increase of 4.25%. The general rates are proposed to go up by 3.05% in the second year (2026/27), and over the following seven years, the increases could range between 1.5% to 4.5%.
The Council says that over the next nine years, Waikato District Council’s services including water and wastewater will cost $4.2 billion.
It is proposing to invest $787.1 million in roading, $160.3 million in stormwater, and $1.8 billion on all other council services.
The Council is also proposing to move its waters to a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) in partnership with Hamilton City Council. The proposed joint CCO with Hamilton City Council will take $1.3 billion of the Council’s total expenditure from the second year onwards.
“We anticipate that the move to the CCO will bring some relief to ratepayers in future years, but it will take up a good part of this LTP to realise the full benefits,” says Mayor Church.
The Council says growth is another factor impacting its proposed budget.
“As one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing districts, $167.5 million of our capital projects are related to growth, which are funded partly by developers through contributions. 24% of growth projects are planned to be funded by loans, impacting the Council’s debt levels.”
Debt is expected to reach a maximum of $347 million in 2025/26, with amounts ranging from $151 million in 2026/27 to $260 million in 2033/34.
All feedback received will be considered by Councillors before the final Long Term Plan is adopted on 30 June 2025.
