Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Council bill arrives 5 years late

Alexandra Newlove
Northern Advocate·
16 Sep, 2016 02:12 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
A bill for a pool inspection which arrived five years late has the Whangarei recipient questioning council efficiency.

A bill for a pool inspection which arrived five years late has the Whangarei recipient questioning council efficiency.

A woman who was sent an invoice five years late has been left wondering what else is gathering dust in the council's billing system.

Whangarei's Julie Wills thought it was odd to receive a bill in May for a swimming pool inspection she had no idea had been done.

When she contacted Whangarei District Council about it, she was told it was actually a bill from 2011 which had never been sent.

"It's pretty concerning there's that kind of inefficiency going on, if it's common," Ms Wills said. "If a private business was sending out accounts five years late they wouldn't survive long."

Ms Wills said she would pay the $132 bill, which she suspected was leftover from the building consent process for the pool. The tax invoice was dated September 29, 2011.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The actual money is no big deal, if it had come with an explanation and an apology," Ms Wills said.

She had raised her situation in the media as she felt the council needed to be questioned over how frequently similar things were happening.

A spokeswoman for the district council said staff were concerned and were investigating the incident. The council planned to contact Ms Wills next week.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Discover more

Church says sorry for orphanage abuse

16 Sep 06:00 PM
New Zealand

Northland woman tells of abuse in orphanage

16 Sep 11:41 PM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Premium
Northern Advocate
|Updated

'Heartbreaking': Hot pools tragedy – mother dies in mystery circumstances after night caper at once-famous fun park

09 May 06:37 AM
Northern Advocate

When ‘failure’ is a win: Couple’s storm-hit kayak mission still inspires others

09 May 04:00 AM
Northern Advocate

Northland takes lead as councils given 3‑month reform deadline

09 May 01:00 AM

Sponsored

Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt

03 May 11:20 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Premium
Premium
'Heartbreaking': Hot pools tragedy – mother dies in mystery circumstances after night caper at once-famous fun park
Northern Advocate
|Updated

'Heartbreaking': Hot pools tragedy – mother dies in mystery circumstances after night caper at once-famous fun park

A sister's quest for answers after a 41yo left alone – police investigating for coroner.

09 May 06:37 AM
When ‘failure’ is a win: Couple’s storm-hit kayak mission still inspires others
Northern Advocate

When ‘failure’ is a win: Couple’s storm-hit kayak mission still inspires others

09 May 04:00 AM
Northland takes lead as councils given 3‑month reform deadline
Northern Advocate

Northland takes lead as councils given 3‑month reform deadline

09 May 01:00 AM


Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt
Sponsored

Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt

03 May 11:20 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP