The decision follows a strong community engagement process which saw a total of 59 submissions received, containing 203 submission points, alongside 114 responses on the key consultation topics.

Hearings were held on Thursday 6 May, with 25 submitters speaking to Council.

The Annual Plan reflects both Council’s commitment to financial responsibility and the Government’s direction for councils to focus on delivering quality local infrastructure, core services, and responsible rates increases. The intention throughout the process was to stay closely aligned with what was signalled for year three of the Long Term Plan.

Council carefully reviewed spending and prioritised affordability, scaling back the capital programme to a level that is realistic, achievable, and sustainable, while still maintaining the services residents expect. As a result, Council consulted on a proposed average rates increase of 4.91 per cent, with the final agreed increase sitting at 4.99 per cent.

Importantly, that figure includes Three Waters costs. Excluding Three Waters, the average general rates increase for most ratepayers across the district is around 2.9 per cent.

Feedback from residents covered a range of key issues, including:

• Proposed changes to local government, including the possible disestablishment of regional councils
• Local Water Done Well and the future structure of Three Waters services
• The proposed capital programme for 2026/27 and Council’s efforts to improve affordability
• The revised costings for the Rangiora Eastern Link project
• Transport funding pressures following a $13.5 million NZ Transport Agency co-funding shortfall over three years
• The impact of increased asset values on depreciation and insurance costs
• Rates remissions for secondary dwellings and minor amendments to the Development Contributions Policy.

The Rangiora Eastern Link continued to receive strong community support, with residents recognising its importance in addressing traffic congestion and supporting future growth, despite increases in construction cost estimates.

Since going out for consultation there has been a major step towards the Rangiora Eastern Link (REL) Road being built with NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) confirming co-funding for property acquisition and detailed design.

This is the next step in the REL becoming a reality. Detailed design and property acquisition is expected to be $8.8m total, with NZTA contributing $4.5m (or 51%). The balance is funded through rates and development contributions.

Council confirmed its preferred approach for Local Water Done Well will be the establishment of a stand-alone in-house business unit, while continuing to investigate opportunities for collaboration with neighbouring councils. This approach largely reflects the current model while ensuring compliance with new Government legislation.

Council also reprioritised other transport projects in response to the NZ Transport Agency funding shortfall, ensuring that projects progressing remain focused on public safety, resilience, and essential infrastructure needs.

Overall, feedback showed strong support for the direction Council is taking, particularly around balancing affordability with investment in critical infrastructure and growth planning.

The adopted Annual Plan delivers one of the lowest average rates increases in Canterbury at 4.99 per cent.

Mayor Dan Gordon thanked Chief Executive Jeff Millward and all the staff for their hard work and acknowledged the thoughtful and constructive feedback received from residents throughout the process.

“I’m really pleased with the process we went through during the deliberations on our Annual Plan following feedback from residents and the subsequent hearings.

“Our priority is investing where there is the greatest value for our ratepayers. We won’t compromise on the safety and wellbeing of our residents, and we won’t compromise on the level of service our communities expect from us.

“At the same time, we are making the tough decisions to defer non-urgent projects where appropriate, and we have worked hard to identify savings wherever possible.

“Planning carefully for growth remains a key focus for Council, and it was encouraging to see from the feedback we received that residents believe we are doing a good job of that.”