Though many district councils in the region offset rates with dividends received through investment funds, Stratford District Council (SDC) is able to keep the community's rates at bay with the help of their successfully run dairy farm.
The 129ha property on Flint Rd, that also houses the Stratford aerodrome, milks 280 cows in a herringbone milking shed.
Sharemilkers Jonathan and Asha West live on the property with their three children Corban, Brodie and Bailee.
The land was initially gifted to council, says SDC property asset manager, Vicki Jagersma, "however council was only granted the land as long as it continued to support the aerodrome." Sven Hanne, SDC director of assets adds that, "this works for council as, for anyone else, the aerodrome could make for an interesting neighbour."
With a goal to produce one 100,000kg of milk solids annually, the farm contributes $105,000 to Council's income.
Sven explains that this means, if the farm didn't exist, but everything else stayed the same, council would need to raise an extra $105,000 per annum through rates, which would translate to a 1 per cent rates increase.
The district asset is run with a three-way input strategy with sharemilkers Jonathan and Asha, SDC representative Vicki, and farm management consultants John Rowe and Robin Vickers, having quarterly meetings to make informed decisions about the running of the farm.