Rangitīkei District Council proposes 6.4% average rates increase; less than 10.75% forecast

The average rate increase for Rangitīkei ratepayers is projected at 6.4% for the 2026-27 financial year.

The proposed average increase is below the 10.75% rise forecast in the Rangitīkei District Council’s 2024-34 Long-Term Plan (LTP).

At a meeting on March 12, the council voted to adopt its draft annual plan for 2026-27 without community consultation.

Councillors agreed there were no significant or material changes from what was proposed in the LTP, meaning consultation is not required under section 95A of the Local Government Act 2002.

Council strategy manager Tiffany Gower said the community would still be able to provide feedback.

“Public consultation is not technically required ... however, officers have prepared consultation material on the basis that council wants to give the community the opportunity to have their say,” Gower said.

Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson told the Chronicle consultation had various legislative principles associated with it but he “will talk to anybody” who wishes to give their feedback.

“I have reached out to a number of communities and said ‘although this isn’t under the definition of full formal consultation, we want to know what you think’,” Watson said.

The average 6.4% rates increase took “a significant amount of work and hard decisions” by council staff to reduce from the 10.75% signalled in the LTP, he said.

“The rural sector has had a higher average-cost rate increase than urban – that is just what happens with a capital-based system,” he said.

Neighbouring councils, Whanganui and Palmerston North, have proposed average rates increases of 5.8% and 4.9%, respectively.

Last year, the 9.1% increase that went out for consultation in the Rangitīkei District was reduced to 7.9%.

Watson said the council would continue to work on projects such as the Marton Swim Centre, Marton water strategy, Napier-Taihape Rd repairs and recovery from the February severe weather event.

“Council has a responsibility to future-proof the district while also keeping services affordable for today’s ratepayers,” he said.

“These are not short-term decisions or projects with short-term solutions; they are long-term investments that will shape the resilience and growth of Rangitīkei for decades to come.

“While project delays can be frustrating, council’s role is not simply to complete projects; it is to deliver them well and in a way that reduces long-term risk and cost for Rangitīkei.”

The council has opted for community consultation on its proposed fees and charges, associated statement of proposal, amended financing policy and draft rates remission policy.

Some fees and charges are set by legislation and remain unchanged; however, most others are proposed to increase by 2.6% (and rounded to the nearest dollar).

The full document is available on the council’s website.

Public consultation runs until April 17, with the final annual plan 2026-27 due for adoption in June.

Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.