E hautu tonutia ana te ara | Staying the course: year two check in
Last year, we completed our 2024-2034 Long Term Plan (LTP), and forecast our work programme, budgets and rates for the next 10 years. To ensure that we stay the course with our long-term planning, we've prepared the Annual Plan for 2025/26 (Year 2 of the LTP), addressing some of the changing circumstances that have affected our budgets and forecasting.
Our 2025/26 Annual Plan was adopted at our Council meeting on Tuesday 24 June, setting the average district-wide rates for the 2025/26 year at the 7.7% we forecast in our LTP, and confirming the move to weekly rubbish and glass collections for our eastern communities.
Check out our 2025/26 Annual Plan here.
What's driving costs?
It continues to be a time of uncertainty and change around Aotearoa New Zealand. We're coping with fast-moving legislative transformation, continuing national and international economic fluctuation, increased cost of living pressures, and growing requirements and complexities in the public sector. Infrastructure costs for delivering our core services like roading and three waters (stormwater, wastewater and drinking supply) have increased faster than general consumer spend over the past few years, but we're committed to the course we set in Year 2 of our 2024-2034 Long Term Plan.
We've faced some increases from things you’ve likely seen in the news, such as the Local Water Done Well reforms and new requirements from the drinking water regulator, Taumata Arowai. This has meant cost increases in the short term, and higher water charges than we originally forecast in our LTP. Government changes to local roading funding and speed limits have also impacted our costs, requiring us to adjust our project budgets and timing. On top of that, there are ongoing repairs from Cyclone Gabrielle and other weather events.
We're staying the course
Despite rising costs, we’ve stuck to the 7.7% average rates increase for the district that we signalled for Year 2 of our Long Term Plan – we know how important that is to our ratepayers, and we’ve made careful choices to ensure we don’t compromise on service delivery.
To stay on track, we're:
- Deferring some of the projects lined up for the 2025/26 year in our Long Term Plan and increasing some fees and charges to match inflation
- Using some of our retained earnings (the money we set aside to pay for the renewal of assets)
- Adjusting our delivery expectations for our capital works programme from 80% to 75%
- Reducing the frequency of peak period kerbside collection for rubbish and glass recycling along the Eastern Seaboard for the 7 weeks from Christmas to Waitangi Day. Collections will move from twice to once a week, to be implemented this coming summer.
You can find out what your rates will be for the 2025/26 financial year using our online rating database.
Kerbside collections
Earlier this year we consulted with our communities from 1-29 April with a proposal to reduce the frequency of kerbside collections of glass and rubbish for our eastern communities over the peak summer period. As a result, collections will move from twice a week to once a week, starting this summer. If you're affected, you'll still have one extra collection a week to help you manage peak volumes of rubbish and glass during this period.
All households also have the option to purchase and use two glass bins on glass collection days, allowing them to manage greater glass volumes during the peak period. You can read more about what we consulted on and the decision-making process below.
Collections elsewhere in the district will remain at their usual summer frequencies.
We’ll publish a summer collection calendar around the end of November or early December, so people can check out the new schedules in good time.
Read about our decision on kerbside collections
We asked for your views
From 1-29 April, we asked to hear your thoughts on our proposal to reduce summer kerbside rubbish and glass collections for our east coast communities from twice a week to once a week (from the week of Christmas to the week of Waitangi Day). Fewer than half of the properties overall put out rubbish and glass for collection at each pick-up.
This small change would mean fewer truck trips, lower emissions and a cleaner future for our district. It also helps cut costs. As the rubbish and recycling budget is shared district-wide, our ratepayers would save an average of $33 in rates, and our east coast communities would save even more.
This consultation is now closed, but you can see what we consulted on here.
Your feedback
During the public feedback period from 1-29 April, a total of 255 people and organisations shared their views on whether our Council should reduce its summer kerbside service on the eastern seaboard from twice weekly to once weekly.
Our Council went through the feedback and reported the findings to our elected Councillors and Mayor on 20 May.
Our decision
Our Council decided to go ahead with reducing the frequency of kerbside collections over the peak summer period (from the week of Christmas to the week of Waitangi Day), starting this coming summer. As a result, there will no longer be a second weekly pick up of rubbish and glass in our east coast communities over the summer period.
You can read the agenda and meeting recording on our website.
Our analysis of kerbside collection volumes over the summer demonstrated that demand for rubbish and glass collections didn't warrant a second pick up. The change will mean fewer truck journeys on our roads, lower carbon emissions, and reduced expenditure.
Rubbish and glass will still be collected once a week in these areas, along with mixed recycling and food waste. Even with the coming change, kerbside collections from Whangamatā to Whangapoua will still be more frequent over the summer period than they are during the rest of the year, to cater to the higher visitor numbers during this time.
Some handy things to remember:
- You can still make use of our 24/7 Refuse and Recycling Transfer Stations (RTS) if you've extra rubbish to dispose during the peak summer period. The new Whitianga RTS will also have after hours services when it opens.
- If you're planning for events such as weddings or family celebrations over the summer period, remember you can still use any RTS to dispose of excess glass and rubbish free of charge
- All households have the option to purchase and use two glass bins on glass collection days, allowing them to manage greater glass volumes during the peak period. Drop into your local Council service centre to organise this.
The decision-making process
- From 1-29 April, we asked for public feedback about our proposal to reduce summer kerbside service on the eastern seaboard from twice weekly to once weekly.
- On Tuesday 20 May, our elected Council met to consider all the feedback received before coming to a final decision. After reviewing feedback and analysing kerbside collection volumes, Council decided to cut the second weekly pick up of rubbish and glass in our east coast communities during the peak summer period.
- On Tuesday 24 June, our final 2025/26 Annual Plan was adopted at our Council meeting and can be read on this page.
More information
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