Tough choices for lower rates adopted: balancing costs, fairness, and service delivery
The Council has confirmed a package of changes aimed at balancing rising costs while keeping rates affordable.
Rates have been set at an average increase of 3.97%, significantly lower than originally forecast.
We consulted on four proposals as part of our Tough Choices public consultation campaign. Following feedback, the Council decided to increase fees and charges and decrease some rates discounts, withdraw our proposal to reduce mowing and gardening services, and amend proposed changes to rubbish and refuse transfer station opening hours to be more convenient.
You will notice some changes including higher fees for most Council services from 1 July 2026 - from rubbish tags to boat ramp parking. Users of transfer stations at Coromandel, Matarangi and Pāuanui transfer stations can expect to see opening hours reduce in the coming months.
The first rates notice will be sent out in September and will include other rating changes made last year, including the shift from land value to capital value rating. While this shift does not change total rates collected by our Council, it does change how rates are distributed across properties.
The final plan reflects careful trade-offs. We have focused on keeping costs down while protecting services people value and reducing internal costs to limit impact on households.
Our Annual Plan is a yearly update to our Long Term Plan, setting out the budget and key work programme for the coming year.
What this means for you
Residents and ratepayers will notice some changes from 1 July.
Fees and charges
Residents and ratepayers will notice higher fees for many Council services. The increase applies across a range of services, including boat ramp parking, dog registration, rubbish collection tags, building consents and other regulatory fees.
This helps address rising service delivery costs while creating a fairer funding balance, with a greater share of costs met by those who directly use the services.
Refuse and Recycling Transfer Station hours
Changes have also been confirmed for the Coromandel Town, Matarangi and Pāuanui transfer stations, which will move to reduced opening hours while remaining open seven days a week.
In the coming months, these sites will operate from 10am to 3pm daily, helping manage costs while continuing to provide access to essential waste services. We will provide information on when this change will take effect soon. There is no change to operating hours at our other four transfer stations. After-hours drop-off facilities at Matarangi and Pāuanui will continue to operate as usual.
Rates remission changes
We've has also made changes to some rates remissions, including reducing the excess water use remission and removing the automatic 14-day remission for late payment penalties. These changes are intended to simplify the system and ensure costs are shared more fairly across the district.
What we will deliver
The Council will continue investing in key priorities across the district. This includes around $15.5 million in storm recovery and resilience work, ongoing renewals of parks, reserves and cemeteries and community facilities. Some projects will be delivered later than originally planned, including the Tōtara Valley services extension, Te Kōuma intersection improvements, and the Thames aquatic facility.
Capital value rating system
The first rates notice will be issued in September and will also reflect rating changes adopted through last year's Rating Review, including the move from land value to capital value rating. While this does not change the total rates collected by the Council, it does change how rates are distributed across properties, meaning some ratepayers may see a larger increase or decrease than they would otherwise have experienced.
We'll be sharing more information soon to help you understand what this change means for you.
Looking ahead
This Annual Plan is a short-term response to current financial pressures. We remain focused on maintaining essential services, supporting storm recovery, and continuing investment in the infrastructure and facilities our communities rely on.
Community Boards to host public briefings on local government reform
Six public briefings will be held across the Coromandel Peninsula next week, giving the community the chance to have their say on the local government reform options being considered by the Council.
The sessions will be hosted by Community Board members and attended by a member of the Council's Simplifying Local Government Working Group.
Local government reform is the most significant change to the way New Zealand's councils operate in a generation, and the decisions made now will shape how the district is governed for decades. Under the Government's Simplifying Local Government reforms, councils can either lead their own change through a Head Start proposal, or leave the decision to the Government, which will impose a structure through its Backstop process after the 2028 local elections.
TCDC has narrowed the field to three options for the community to consider. The feedback gathered at these sessions will help the Council settle on the single preferred option that will form its Head Start proposal.
Find out more about Simplifying Local Government, and fill out our online survey on the three options by 15 July.
“These are essentially listening sessions,” said Acting Mayor John Grant of next week's public briefings.
“The elected members present will be inviting you to give your views on the different options, so we urge you to come along and share your thoughts.”
Simplifying Local Government is running to an extremely tight timeline set by the Government, and the Council must submit its Head Start proposal by 9 August.
“The countdown is on to have your say about which way TCDC should go, because if we don’t, the Government will decide for us,” Grant added.
Each session will begin with a short presentation on where the process is at, followed by an opportunity for people to share their views.
Grant says all views will be recorded and taken into account, and added to the evidence and analysis being gathered on each of the options.
“The Council has no preferred option yet. We want to gather as much information as we can before a final decision is made,” he said.
Grant says holding the briefings through the Community Boards is deliberate.
“Our Community Boards are the local voice of their communities, and keeping that local voice strong is one of the tests the Government has set for this reform. It is right that these conversations begin with the boards,” he said.
The 9 August proposal is the first step in the process. A preferred model will then be developed over the following months, with further opportunities for the community to be involved.
The meetings are as follows:
Tuesday 7 July, 5.30pm Thames
Hosted by Chair Adrian Catran and Cr John Freer
100 Kirkwood Street, Thames
Wednesday 8 July, 5.30pm Coromandel Colville
Hosted by Chair Gavin Jeffcoat and Cr Flemming Rasmussen
Peppertree Restaurant, Coromandel
Wednesday 8 July, 5.30pm Tairua
Hosted by Chair Warwick Brooks and Cr John Freer
Tairua Rugby & Sports Club
Wednesday 8 July, 7pm Pāuanui
Hosted by Deputy Chair Georgina Bond and Cr John Freer
Pāuanui Club
Thursday 9 July, 5.30pm Mercury Bay
Hosted by Chair Richard Shelford-Woodcock and Acting Mayor John Grant
The Lost Spring
Thursday 9 July, 5.30pm Whangamatā
Hosted by Chair Mark Drury and Cr John Freer
Whangamatā Golf Club (Titoki)
Get more information and have your say
Ngā mihi o te tau hou Māori - Greetings of the Māori New Year
Getting out on the water is now easier and more convenient. Our Council introduced a new online boat ramp launch system this week in partnership with Stellar, a trusted provider of boat ramp and parking solutions across New Zealand.
Designed with users in mind, the new system makes launching simpler and more efficient, while ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption for regular boat ramp users.
✅ Your launching vehicle licence plate is your permit.
✅ No physical permits required
✅ Manage everything online, anytime
Both proposals are the result of public requests and have been presented to and are supported by the Tairua-Pāuanui Community Board.