We must invest in our future. But keep it affordable today
Tauranga City Council’s Mayor and Councillors will be out and about in April and invite the community to come and chat with them about important investment decisions for our city.
Consultation opened on the draft Annual Plan 2025/26 – the city’s annual budget – on Friday, 28 March, and will run until 5pm on Monday, 28 April.
This draft Annual Plan is about finding the right balance between continuing to move our city forward for future generations, while keeping the costs of progress as fair and affordable as possible today.
The Mayor and Councillors have been working hard to limit rates rises for the next financial year to 12 percent or less, in the face of a number of financial pressures.
“The challenging economic outlook affects all ratepayers and we are conscious of the trade-off between investing in our city and what our ratepayers consider an affordable amount of rates to pay,” says Mayor Mahé Drysdale.
“Value for money and keeping rates as affordable as possible are key priorities, but Tauranga is a growing city and we need to commit to a certain level of investment to maintain what we have now and provide for our future growth.”
Council’s approach has been to find savings across all areas of operations and more efficient ways to deliver council services, as well as prioritising our capital spending on projects that are important for the city.
“We need your help to get the balance right,” says Mahé.
The economic outlook for the coming financial year (1 July 2025–30 June 2026) remains challenging, and the city faces some important decisions on where to prioritise investment and spending.
Changes to Council’s finances in the past few months mean we are facing an additional $25 million of costs to cover the depreciation on our assets, as well as a $4 million reduction in our expected revenue for the coming financial year. If those impacts were not offset by savings, the result would have been an average rates increase of over 20%.
“We have worked hard to get the average rates increases down to 12%, but we know this is still higher than may people would like. So between now and when the final budget is adopted in June, we have agreed to look for at least another $6.7 million in rates-funded savings,” adds Mahé.
Community events are being held throughout April, offering a great opportunity to share your thoughts on the draft budget and what matters most to you with the Mayor and Councillors.
“Come and talk to us, or head online and complete the survey. Your input today will help shape the city of tomorrow,” says Mahé.
For more information, event details, or to submit on the Annual Plan, head to letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/annualplan