12 Feb 2025

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Christchurch City Council has outlined its plans for the year ahead, and the community is about to have its say.

The Council has now approved the Draft Annual Plan 2025/26, which sets out what the Council proposes to do over the next 12 months, and how it will pay for it.

Mayor Phil Mauger says the Annual Plan is the Council’s regular sense-check with the community.

“The Annual Plan process is your chance to check how we’re tracking on the things we said we’d do in the Long Term Plan and make any minor course-corrections.

“By many metrics, we’re on the right course. Christchurch has become one of the most desirable places in New Zealand to live, do business and visit. We’re the primary economic hub for the South Island, and the most affordable housing of New Zealand's major urban centres. We’re New Zealand’s second-largest city, and one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. 

“Christchurch City Council has played a central role in shaping this growth and transformation, and this wouldn’t be possible without the community guidance that the Annual Plan and Long Term Plan process gives us each year.

“The best cities are the ones that listen to their communities, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Your feedback is vital in shaping the services, infrastructure, and planning that will ensure Christchurch remains the city we’re proud to call home.”

The Draft Annual Plan 2025/26 proposes:

  • Capital spend of $735 million invested into the city’s infrastructure and facilities. This is $29.6 million higher than what was in the Long Term Plan.
  • Operational spend of $718 million. This is spending on the day-to-day services the Council provides, and is $23.8 million more than what was in the Long Term Plan.
  • An overall average rates increase across all properties of 7.58%. This is lower than the 8.48% projected in the LTP.
  • Pausing the collection of this targeted rate to help reinstate the Christ Church Cathedral for the remaining three years we had left to collect it.

The Council is also seeking feedback on other matters, including:

  • Proposed changes to how it charges for trade waste discharge.
  • Policy settings for the draft Climate Resilience Fund.
  • A $5 million grant to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand
  • Increasing the rates for infrastructure renewals in 2025/26, reducing the amount the Council needs to borrow to fund its capital programme. Increasing this rate would make it easier for the Council to have a balanced budget in future years.

“Owing to the current financial pressures all of New Zealand is facing, we're proposing an unbalanced budget this year,” Mayor Mauger says.

“That's because we're proposing borrowing more now to cover our essential asset renewals, which will spread the cost over time and mean we don't need to impose a big increase on ratepayers immediately.

“This is a useful short-term approach, but we'll need to return to a balanced budget in the longer term to ensure costs are fair for future generations. We aim to do this by 2028.”

Public feedback on the Draft Annual Plan opens on Wednesday 26 February and runs until 11.59pm on Friday 28 March 2025.