'Boldest' Northland regional Long Term Plan comes at cost to ratepayers

Submitters to Northland Regional Council's region's Long Term Plan asked for more flood protection.

New initiatives tackling water, pests and flood infrastructure will be formally adopted shortly in the Northland Regional Council's ''boldest and most visionary'' Long Term Plan.

One of the changes made from the plan's draft is the way flood protection will be paid for, with all ratepayers paying a larger share.

The council is proposing an average rates increase of 29 per cent, excluding targeted levies on local transport and flooding.

Chairman Bill Shepherd said many submitters ''selflessly'' backed proposals in the ambitious plan to spend more to clean up waters, protect native species and provide better flood infrastructure, knowing this would mean bigger rates bills.

The changes in the new LTP will cost the average ratepayer about $70 extra, or another $1.35 a week, over the next year.

The council received more than 2200 submissions during an intensive month-long public feedback period on its latest 10-year plan.

Council members were impressed by and appreciated both the level of community interest in the proposed LTP (Long Term Plan) and the quality of submissions, Shepherd said.

The LTP had been developed in response to demand from the community and central government, as well as the council's desire to do more, he said.

In his opinion, it was "the boldest and most visionary long term plan that council has ever proposed".

Staff recommendations were considered at a May 16 meeting and the response will go to the NRC's June 21 full council meeting to be formalised. The new LTP will officially take effect from Sunday, July 1.

Shepherd said the council knew rates increases would never be popular, but that had been weighed very carefully against community views that the council needed to "do more" and make real progress in some important areas.

One of the main changes was an alteration to the way new flood protection infrastructure would be paid for.

"We've moved from the proposed 50/50 split between those affected by floods and all ratepayers in the region, to a 70/30 split, with all ratepayers covering the larger share,'' Shepherd said.

Other key changes as a result of deliberations included more funding for water quality initiatives; allocating funding to carry out kauri dieback response; more money to Surf Lifesaving Northern Region for lifeguard services at six Northland beaches; a $2.50 increase in the Whangārei Transport Rate for a trial of bus services to the wider Whangārei district.