Join us in building a stronger and more resilient Kāpiti

Have you had your say on our proposed Long-term Plan 2024–34?

Every three years, we review our Long-term Plan (LTP), which lays out the mahi (work) we plan to do over the next 10 years and how we’ll pay for it.

It sets our direction, the activities, and priorities we plan to deliver, our financial and infrastructure strategies and other important policies, and our budget for the next 10 years, with a focus on the first three years. Importantly, the LTP sets out the likely impact on your rates.

Before we lock anything in for our Long-term Plan, we need your feedback

Like many councils across the country, we’re facing high inflation and increasing costs for delivering core services. We need to invest in our infrastructure, and plan for growth in the district, while also ensuring we can respond to natural disasters.

This has an impact on rates. While rates increases are never ideal, we believe we need to take bold action now to secure the district’s future.

We know our communities are dealing with significant economic pressures in both their households and businesses. Council is facing those same pressures, plus high costs associated with our assets and infrastructure and high debt levels. We also need to find a way to fund the delivery of drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater services now that the previous government’s three waters legislation has been repealed.

Our main objective in preparing this LTP is to actively reduce debt and remain financially sound so we can grow well and increase our resilience.

We encourage you to share your views so we can tackle these tough decisions together and ensure a bright future for everyone who calls – or will call – Kāpiti home.

Consultation is open until 28 April. There are lots of ways to give feedback – online, on paper, or in person.

What we’ve done to cut costs

We’ve already made some hard calls to reduce operating costs through a range of measures, but we need to take further action to reduce our debt so we can increase our resilience, and attract growth and economic development.

To further reduce operating costs without a rates increase, we would need to reduce levels of service, which is things like library or pool hours,
mowing, or other maintenance and repairs. We don’t plan on doing this right now, but it may become necessary in coming years. We’d have to consider how we do this without compromising the things that make Kāpiti such a great place to live.

Proposed rates

In 2024/25, which is the first year of this LTP, we’re proposing an average rates increase of 17 percent. This will reduce to an average 7 percent a year for the following nine years of the ten year plan. Your actual percentage increase will vary depending on the capital value of your property.

Almost 10 percent of the proposed 17 percent rates increase is from unavoidable costs such as inflation, rising insurance costs, interest, depreciation, and personnel costs despite a cap on staff numbers already in place. A further two percent is for essential infrastructure and community facilities, with funding a $4.7 million shortfall for three waters making up the remaining five percent now the legislation has been repealed.

This is more than anyone wants to see but is in-step with other councils’ proposed rates rises.

Proposals for building a resilient future

We’d love your views on anything at all, but especially these three proposals that have big implications for ratepayers.

1. Tackle the funding shortfall for three waters

We now have to fund $4.7m for our three waters operating costs in 2024/25, which we’d previously expected to be transferred to a regional entity. This accounts for five percent of the 17 percent average rates increase proposed in the first year of the LTP.

We’re asking for feedback on whether we should fund this 2024/25 operating cost shortfall through rates or debt.

Our preferred option is to fund through rates, as we are seeking to actively reduce our debt, not add to it.

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2. Proactively reduce Council’s debt

We need to drastically reduce our debt so we have the ability to borrow enough to pay for the unexpected, such as a major natural disaster. If we don’t start reducing our debt our interest repayments will be about $400,000 a week within 10 years.

We’re asking for your feedback on which rates rise we should opt for to strike a balance between affordability, building capacity to borrow, and keeping our core assets in good shape.

Our preferred option is to go with the middle ground, which means a seven percent average rates increase for years 2 to 10 of the LTP.

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3. Sustainable housing for our older people

The cost of providing suitable council housing for older people in our district is increasing. As councils are unable to access government funding to help cover the cost, we’ve been looking at how to improve this service without
ratepayers continuing to foot the bill.

We’re asking for your feedback on whether we transfer our housing assets for older people to a new community housing provider, or to an existing one, or keep the portfolio within Council.

Our preferred option is to transfer it to a new provider, which we would set up to focus on the specific needs of Kāpiti residents. Tenants could potentially access government subsidies, lessening the burden on ratepayers.

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Introducing a Climate Action Rate

A designated rate would make it easier to see what we are spending on specific climate change actions, such as reducing our carbon footprint, improving waste management practices, and protecting public assets from climate-related damage through work around seawalls and sand dune planting. The proposed new rate won’t increase the amount we collect from rates next year, it will just be split out differently on the rates bill.

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Have your say by 28 April

Online at haveyoursay.kapiticoast.govt.nz/LTP
Email [email protected]

Drop your submission at a library or service centre or post to LTP Submissions, Kāpiti Coast District Council, Private Bag 60601, Paraparaumu 5254.

Drop-in to talk to elected members at various locations throughout the district:

• 30 March 2024, 9am–12 noon, Waikanae Easter Saturday Market, Mahara Place
• 09 April 2024, 1.30–3pm, Paraparaumu – Council Building, Rimu Road
• 09 April 2024, 6–7pm, Ōtaki Memorial Hall supper room
• 12 April 2024, 10–11.30am, Waikanae Library
• 13 April 2024, 10–11.30am, Raumati South Memorial Hall
• 13 April 2024, 1–2pm, Paekākāriki – St Peter's Hall
• 20 April 2024, 10–11.30am, Ōtaki Memorial Hall supper room
• 20 April 2024, 10–11.30am, Waikanae Library
• 21 April 2024, 10am–12 noon, Ōtaki Kids' Market

Speak at hearings on 2 May.

Find everything you need at [email protected]/LTP