Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

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

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

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

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

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 / Whanganui Chronicle

Rules for claiming rates rebate tightened in Whanganui

Laurel Stowell
By Laurel Stowell
Reporter·Whanganui Chronicle·
3 Sep, 2018 05:00 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

Eligibility for a rates rebate has been tightened in Whanganui, upsetting one pensioner who is missing out

Eligibility for a rates rebate has been tightened in Whanganui, upsetting one pensioner who is missing out

A Whanganui woman is mystified about why a letter accompanying her rates demand says she may be able to get a rebate ...

Because even though she is a pensioner on a limited income, and even though she has had rebates before, she is no longer eligible.

Annabelle Smith — not her real name — has lived in her home for many years and has always faithfully paid the rates, but her name is not on the house's certificate of title.

That means she is not on Whanganui District Council's rating information database, and only people on the database are "legal ratepayers" and only they can apply for a rebate.

"The Rates Rebate Scheme provides a rebate of up to $630 for low income earners who were paying rates for the home in which they were living on July 1, 2018," says the letter which accompanied her latest rates demand.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But Smith made her children the registered owners of her property some years ago. She put it in their names because she wanted to make sure they would never lose out on property as she had done in the past.

But she doesn't want the kids to pay her bills - she budgets carefully and pays all the property expenses.

She got the rates rebate until three years ago, but then the policy was changed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Rating policy is set by the Department of Internal Affairs, a Whanganui council spokeswoman said. The department got stricter about legal ratepayer status three years ago and the council fell into line, meaning those not on the database now mised out.

Smith is annoyed that her bill says a rebate is still available for her, though her children could chose to pursue it.

Meanwhile, the council would like eligibility for rebates to loosen up, and made a submission to the Rates Rebate Amendment Bill in January last year.

It asked for the definition of ratepayer to include "the right to occupy a residential property with a life interest which may be pursuant to a will or through a family trust arrangement where the occupier pays a levy that is determined to form rates repayment".

Discover more

Precedent setting? Thain's hearing begins

09 Aug 08:00 PM

Elderly to need transport options

20 Aug 07:01 AM
Environment

Steve Baron: Government waste levy hitting Whanganui folk in the pocket

21 Aug 02:00 AM

Crown and Māori skirmishes to be commemorated in South Taranaki

22 Aug 06:00 AM

The submission wasn't considered in time for the rating year that began on July 1, but it may be in future.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

04 Jul 08:00 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

'Evocative tribute': Exhibition explores Whanganui's spiritual heritage

04 Jul 03:00 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Central North Island feels impact of heavy rain

04 Jul 02:44 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

04 Jul 08:00 AM

Judge Tompkins said Michael Mead, 64, posed a 'very high risk' in the future.

'Evocative tribute': Exhibition explores Whanganui's spiritual heritage

'Evocative tribute': Exhibition explores Whanganui's spiritual heritage

04 Jul 03:00 AM
Central North Island feels impact of heavy rain

Central North Island feels impact of heavy rain

04 Jul 02:44 AM
Premium
Tradie's remarkable revival of long-lost NZ clothing brand from his backyard shed

Tradie's remarkable revival of long-lost NZ clothing brand from his backyard shed

03 Jul 10:43 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

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
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP