Whangārei District Council has approved the creation of a mayoral taskforce for City Centre Revitalisation. Photo / NZME
Whangārei District Council has approved the creation of a mayoral taskforce for City Centre Revitalisation. Photo / NZME
With the formalities behind Whangārei District’s newly elected council, the real work begins. Elected members are stepping into their roles and are focused on delivering the outcomes voters expect.
With the 2026-27 annual budget looming, we’ve turned our attention to one of the key election issues – rates affordability. It’swidely acknowledged by all elected members that we need to address the financial constraints our community faces.
It’s been a challenging few years and while there are signs of recovery, we’ve committed to acting now to ease pressure on households and businesses.
At our November council meeting, we approved an independent external financial review. This is a key priority of mine, which is shared by the elected members.
Starting this month, the review will support the 2026-27 annual budget process and inform the next 10-year plan (2027-37), taking a line-by-line look at expenditure and identifying opportunities for savings.
This has happened at pace and I thank our finance chairman, councillor Paul Yovich, for driving this.
The financial review coincides with the Government’s decision to introduce a rates cap by 2029.
We support central Government’s focus on ensuring ratepayers are getting good value for money and are considering the implications for the district before providing feedback via the submission process early next year.
The wider local government reforms were a key focus at meetings with our neighbouring Northland councils last week. The priority for all of us is to ensure any changes deliver genuine benefits for our communities and our region.
I welcome the opportunity to explore further efficiencies across the sector and we’re looking forward to working together on this over the coming year.
Mayor Ken Couper says Whangārei District Council is committed to acting now to ease pressure on households and businesses.
Council has also approved the creation of a mayoral taskforce for City Centre Revitalisation.
The taskforce has two objectives: to support economic revitalisation and to make the city centre a safe, welcoming place.
Whangārei’s city centre faces challenges that affect us all, such as economic pressures on small businesses, social issues, safety concerns, infrastructure gaps and long-term flooding risks.
These are complex problems that no single organisation can solve alone.
We are committed to leading a collaborative approach. By bringing together businesses, community organisations and existing city groups, we aim to tackle immediate concerns while planning for the future.
The appointed elected members, myself, Deputy Mayor Scott McKenzie and councillors Crichton Christie, Brad Flower and Marie Olsen, will work to establish a core group of stakeholders, with the aim of being up and running for 2026.
These steps mark the beginning of a term focused on partnership, progress and practical solutions.
I’m confident that, with the support of our community, we can deliver outcomes that make a real difference for our district.
Don’t forget that free car parking is available on the rooftop of the Central City Carpark for the month of December. Come into town and support our businesses by shopping local this Christmas.
