The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

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 / The Country

Hawke's Bay Regional Council postpones rates increase

By Christian Fuller
Hawkes Bay Today·
25 Mar, 2020 10:43 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Hawke's Bay Regional Council has postponed a rates increase. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay Regional Council has postponed a rates increase. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay Regional Council has signalled a zero rates increase due to the ongoing coronavirus concerns.

Councillors sought urgent advice from the chief executive James Palmer on the issue at a meeting on Wednesday, before stopping a proposed increase.

Chairman Rex Graham said the council was aware of the financial pain within the region due to Covid-19, drought and Bovine TB.

READ MORE:
• Premium - Hawke's Bay Regional Council name change to be investigated, despite councillor's concerns
• Rex Graham re-elected as Hawke's Bay Regional Council chairman unopposed
• Hawke's Bay Regional Council's 3D aquifer mapping project takes off


"We want to postpone our planned rate increase and need to find ways to do this and still deliver on our 2020-21 Annual Plan," he said.

"It is an incredibly difficult time for many people in the region, and we are committed to doing everything in our powers to get the region through the series of crises we are in.

"This is just the beginning of a series of initiatives that we are developing."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Palmer also outlined essential services that are being maintained during the lockdown period, which included contributing to Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management response, flood management and response capability and maintaining pump stations and flood and drainage infrastructure.

Maintaining pollution and oil response capability for urgent cases, harbourmaster and biosecurity functions and Resource Management Act functions, including resource consents, were also included.

The council delegated Palmer the authority to make urgent decisions in specified situations during the Covid-19 pandemic and while the Government's alert levels make meetings of council impractical.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The council also unanimously agreed to consolidate all committee meetings into a weekly council meeting to be held by video for the next four weeks.

The regional council offices will remain closed, but staff are available via phone, email and Facebook.

Deputy chairman Rick Barker has been appointed as Hawke's Bay's Regional Civil Defence chairman.

This is a position usually reserved for the chairman of the regional council, however Graham recommended Barker's appointment.

"Rick is the perfect person in our region to do this job," Graham said.

"He is a former minister in charge of CD and the current deputy chair of the HBRC, he has a deep understanding of the challenges and issues before us and I have total confidence in him."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

'We love you Jocko': Hundreds pay tribute to Stewart Island hunting accident victim

The Country

City to Farm - how leftovers are giving back to the land

The Country

The Country: Tasman farmer on flooding aftermath


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

'We love you Jocko': Hundreds pay tribute to Stewart Island hunting accident victim
The Country

'We love you Jocko': Hundreds pay tribute to Stewart Island hunting accident victim

Jock Davies was remembered for his infectious humour, caring nature and great strength.

14 Jul 04:21 AM
City to Farm - how leftovers are giving back to the land
The Country

City to Farm - how leftovers are giving back to the land

14 Jul 03:16 AM
The Country: Tasman farmer on flooding aftermath
The Country

The Country: Tasman farmer on flooding aftermath

14 Jul 02:16 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 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
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • 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
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP