Three Year Plan 2024- 2027

What was decided 

Higher Option:

One-off boost to Land Transport

This option proposed a $500k increase in funding ($205,000 in rates) to deliver the increases in the Central Options and

a one-off boost to:

• Address the lack of metalling

by increasing the amount across rural roads by 20% as a one-off, achieving around 8.3 kilometres of additional metalling.

• A one-off increase to the amount of resealing across roads by 20%, catching up on around 6 kilometres of road sealing.

What was decided

Central Option:

Deliver on critical water projects

The Central Option featured critical investment in our drinking water services continuing, and already includes our wastewater programme being deferred until reviews of Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact are complete. We had already reduced this budget by over $1m to get to this option.

• The Waipukurau Second Supply project will continue to be prioritised over four years, to provide water source resilience and a 3 million litre increase in drinking water storage capacity.
• The two, over 100-year-old, drinking water reservoirs

in Waipawa will be replaced.

• Renewals across our drinking and wastewater programmes will continue as planned without reductions. This reduces losses and leaks across the network.
  • Work on the Takapau, Waipawa and Pōrangahau/Te Paerahi wastewater plants will pause for three years, until reviews

of Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact are complete.

• A new DAF (Dissolved Air Floatation) plant will be installed at the Waipukurau Wastewater Treatment plant to manage growth and reduce non-compliance issues

in the shorter term.

• A replacement swing bridge to carry wastewater to a future plant in Waipawa is still retained in the plan, however not until Year 3 once we better understand the outcomes of river reviews.

What was decided

Central Option:

Provide for programmed regular maintenance

The Central Option proposes

$857,000 of new stormwater investment in urban areas in the first year and ongoing years of the Three Year Plan.

• We clearly heard from community the need to ensure there are clear expectations on the stormwater level of service they can expect. This budget increase will introduce a much higher level of service than currently provided. This option uses external Better Off Funding

to reduce the major increase in this rate in Year 1 of the Three Year Plan, with a further increase required

in rating requirements in Year 2. This new investment across the district will achieve:

• 2-yearly vegetation clearance on major open drain channels.
• 5-yearly bed excavation to remove vegetation overgrowth and sedimentation.
• 10% of the piped stormwater network flushed or inspected each year.
• Development of an overarching strategy for how the Stormwater activity is managed in the future.
  • Development of a hydraulic model for Takapau and updates to Waipukurau, Waipawa and Otāne models.

What was decided

Central Option:

Focused services with reductions

This option included over

$1.5 million of reductions made across the entire organisation, including:

• The permanent closure of the Waipawa and Takapau Transfer Stations.
• Reduction in hours at the Pōrangahau Transfer Station.
• Removing planned new rates funded roles for the next 24 months.
• Further reductions in organisational wide costs including staffing costs.
• Funding the Rural Recycling Trailer through Better Off Funding in Year 1.
• Reducing and deferring open space and community facilities renewal projects for three years.
  • Operational recovery support is funded externally, not through rates.
  • Deferring new projects and capital projects across Open Spaces and Community Facilities in the first three years.
  • Delaying decisions on the future of the former Waipukurau Library and other community facilities.
    • Minor reductions across Economic Development, Governance, and all other activities.

Council confirmed that there will be no reduction in opening hours at the Waipawa and Waipukurau libraries.