Wanganui local authorities' latest efforts to balance their books have been revealed.
Statistics New Zealand's annual Local Authority Census for the year ending June 2013 shows that nationwide local authority spending on core services has declined for the first time in the census' 20-year history.
Wanganui District Council spending on core services, or operating expenditure, fell from almost $67 million to $66.2 million from 2012 to 2013, while its total operating income fell from $67.3 million to $61.6 million.
Horizons Regional Council spending on core services dropped from $49.4 million to $46.2 million, and its total operating income fell from $52.1 million to $51 million.
More than $44.2 million of Wanganui council operating income and $35.7 million of Horizons operating income was funded by rates in the year to June 2013.
Nationwide, local authority spending fell from $8.5 billion to $8.3 billion, while operating income increased 1 per cent to $7.9 billion.
Statistics NZ said income from rates increased $90 million in 2013, the lowest increase since the global financial crisis in 2009.
In the year ended June 2013, local authorities' operating deficit was $392 million, an improvement from the June 2012 year deficit.
Local Government New Zealand president Lawrence Yule said the spending figures were skewed by Auckland and Christchurch data, and did not accurately reflect what was happening in the regions.