Annual Plan 2022/2023

With inflation increasing around the world, and the New Zealand rate reaching 6.9 per cent, our Council has kept average rates increases for the 2022/23 financial year at 5.9 per cent. 

This is lower than both the 7.7 per cent projected for this year in the 2021-2031 Long Term Plan (LTP) and the 8.3 per cent we consulted on earlier in 2022. 

Setting the rates is one of the key outcomes of our 2022/23 Annual Plan.

“We’ve kept the rates increase lower than we originally anticipated because we’ve been able to use some of our expected retained water, wastewater and stormwater earnings to partially fund these activities,” says our Mayor Sandra Goudie. 

"However, rates are still rising due to increasing inflation, project delays caused by COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions – challenges that the entire world is facing now, not just the Coromandel,” says Mayor Sandra.

There’ll be changes to boat ramp launching and boat trailer parking fees around our district from 1 August 2022.

The new fees are:

• An annual combination fee for recreational boat launching and trailer parking set at $115 per year  
• A daily combination fee for recreational boat launching and trailer parking set at $30 per day
• An annual launch only fee for recreational boats set at $45 per year
• A daily launch only fee for recreational boats set at $15 per day

These fees will apply at nine Council boat ramps from 1 August 2022; the remaining 17 would remain free to use.

Trailer parking fees already exist at six of our boat ramps. The new parking fee applies to three additional ramps and the new launching fee would apply at all nine ramps, listed here:

• Sugarloaf (Te Kouma)
• Whangapoua
• Matarangi
• Whitianga Wharf/The Esplanade
• Robinson Rd, Whitianga
• Purangi (Cooks Beach – Purangi Reserve)
• Tairua Wharf
• Royal Billy Point, Pāuanui
• Beach Rd, Whangamatā

Our 17 other Council boat ramps remain free to use.

We’re introducing more ways for people to pay fees online, including scanning a QR code with your mobile phone while at the boat ramp. We are putting up signage at the boat ramps to provide instructions.

Boaties will also have an option to pay fees at participating retail outlets and Council offices. We'll be confirming outlets over the next few weeks and will post the final list on tcdc.govt.nz/boatramps.

“Our coast is such an integral part of who we are as a district,” says our Mayor Sandra Goudie. “Boat ramps and wharves are important assets to help people enjoy the water. But they’re costly to maintain and replace or upgrade when needed. This change to the fees is about shifting some of that cost from ratepayers to the people who use the facilities. The fees collected will stay in the local area to help pay for the boat ramps and wharves.”

A proposal we had in our Annual Plan consultation document to change the fees charged for commercial use of our wharves has been put on hold pending further consultation with wharf users.

We decided to raise capital expenditure from the $42.5 million projected in our 2021-2031 Long Term Plan for the coming financial year to $54 million. This is because inflation is higher now than anticipated 18 months ago when the LTP was drawn up and because $8.6 million worth of projects have been delayed to the coming year because of COVID-19 lockdowns and supply chain disruptions.

“We all recognise the significant challenges here and across the rest of New Zealand and the world, in dealing with inflation and delays in procuring materials,” says Mayor Sandra. “Council staff will be monitoring this as we go ahead so we can be flexible and respond as best we can to changing circumstances.”

Our Council has been working with the Matarangi Community Trust (MCT), Matarangi Ratepayers Association (MRA) and Matarangi Land Holdings Ltd (MLHL) to secure the permanent protection of the Matarangi Open Space occupied by the golf course.

Our Council will contribute $1.25 million to buy some of the open space land. The remainder of the land will be purchased and owned by MLHL and MCT. This will be funded by existing reserve budgets with no impact on ratepayers. The plan is contingent on MLHL and MCT raising the funds required for their investment in the land within two years from the signing of the Heads of Agreement.

Operational expenditure is our day-to-day costs of running our facilities and services. It was adjusted from the LTP to include:

• $200,000 for Corporate Greenhouse Gases Emission Reduction Plan implementation
• $225,000 to enable the completion of the Shoreline Management Plan project
• $85,000 to initiate the implementation of the Shoreline Management Plan (see more on the project at tcdc.govt.nz/smp)
• $6,000 per annum until 2031 (inflation adjusted) to support Anzac Day commemorations
• A $20,000 grant in 2022/23 for the Coromandel Town Community Library
• $35,180 in 2022/23 to enable the Whangamatā Beach Hop to run twice in one financial year
• $60,000 in 2022/23 for the Whangamatā Community Swimming Pool
• $50,000 in 2022/23 for Future Planning of Whangamatā

• This year the three waters (water, stormwater and wastewater) activities will be partially funded from our financial reserves for these activities, using 25 per cent of our retained earnings.
• $1.53 million for 2022/23 from retained earnings to begin to address salary gaps resulting from previous years' wage freezes and to compensate staff fairly in the current competitive labour market. It’s an incredibly challenging environment and there’s a need to close pay gaps to assist with recruitment and retention.
• A request to provide the Whangamatā Information Centre with an additional $30,000 per year over the next two years from district funds, in addition to the $50,000 per annum already allocated, was declined. Council would support any Whangamatā Community Board initiative to locally fund the information centre.
• A request to fund Waikato Screen NZ with $21,606 for three years was declined as support for filming activities in the district is provided through our Council’s Economic Development Team and our District Events Coordinator as well as through our Regional Tourism Organisation Destination Coromandel, that Council already funds.

• We consulted on our draft Annual Plan proposals from 11 March to 11 April.
• 201 submissions were received during the consultation period. Hearings took place on 2 May when Council heard from 21 of the submitters.
• On 24 May, our Council held its deliberations meeting to consider feedback and submissions.
• The final Annual Plan(PDF, 2MB)  was adopted at our Council's meeting on Tuesday 28 June 2022.