6 Dec 2023

Share this story

The Mayor and Councillors have discussed the latest proposed rates increase for Christchurch ratepayers.

The latest figure proposed by Christchurch City Council staff is 13.3% for 2024/25. The Mayor and councillors are aiming for a rates increase between 9% and 12%. They also discussed highlighting the rates impact of Te Kaha in people’s rates demands, to make the rates required for Te Kaha transparent.

Watch the briefing here.

The draft budget being developed by the Council will go out for public feedback in March 2024 as the Long Term Plan 2024–2034 (LTP). The LTP is the Council’s budget for the next 10 years, and outlines what services the Council will provide, and how these will be funded.

“The 13.3% rates increase isn’t final – it just reflects where the budget is at,” says Interim Chief Executive Mary Richardson.

“Over the past months, the Mayor and Councillors have been working with staff to balance what services we can provide to residents, and how much we think ratepayers can realistically afford given economic pressures.

“There’s still a lot more work to be done, but the Mayor and Councillors have given their latest advice and now staff will work on draft options ready for the new year. The community will have a say when the LTP goes out for consultation in March 2024,” Ms Richardson says.

“The main factors driving the rates increase are inflation, and the borrowing required to deliver our capital programme and the ongoing renewals to Council infrastructure.”

Some of the main issues discussed included:

  • The appropriate level of investment in renewals, as there will be added costs to borrowing if the Council slows down its renewals.
  • The deliverability and affordability of our capital programme.
  • The use of targeted rates and remissions.
  • Avoiding additional pressure on rates in the future.

The next public briefing on the LTP will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday 13 December.