What are Annual and Long-term Plans?

Our Long-term Plan outlines how we invest in our communities and infrastructure for the next 10 or 20 years. The Long-term Plan also includes our specific plans and budget for Year One, so we don't produce an Annual Plan for the first year. Annual Plans are produced in year two and three of the Long-term Plan then the cycle starts again.

Our current Long-term Plan covers the period 2024–34. We update the Long-term Plan every three years.

Our Annual Plans outline our specific plans and budget to deliver on our Long-term Plan in each of year two and year three of the long-term plan cycle. They cover the financial year, which is the 12 months from July to June. We don't publish a separate annual plan in year one, because that information is in the Long-term Plan.

Our Annual Reports outline how we went in delivering our Annual Plan in the previous year, including audited financial statements. Annual Reports are adopted every year within four months of the financial year ending in June. 

Sometimes people wonder how the District Plan fits in with these – in fact, the District Plan sits alongside this process, rather than as a direct part of it. The District Plan outlines the controls for land use and subdivision in our district, and specifies our desired environmental outcomes. This is not directly related to the Long-term Plan and the Annual Plan, but can often be confused with them. The District Plan is reviewed every 10 years, as required by the Resource Management Act 1991.