Whanganui ratepayers group set to hold its first meeting

There are moves to revive a ratepayer group in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley

A former Whanganui political candidate is hoping to revive the city’s ratepayers association.

William Arnold stood for New Zealand First in the 2023 general election.

He said he was not forming the new group “to go on a witch hunt” against the Whanganui District Council.

“I just think there has to be a go-between for residents and ratepayers and the council.

“Otherwise, there is a risk of [council] not being accountable.”

Arnold said he had not been attending council meetings and community events but he would make it his business to do so.

“There has to be an association. You can’t just have a whole bunch of people turning up to council asking ‘what’s this and what’s that?’ because it doesn’t hold any weight.

“If you have an incorporated association that’s been voted in by the people to represent them, it carries a lot more weight.”

William Arnold is hoping to resurrect the Whanganui Ratepayers Association.

He said there would be some who supported the work the council did and some who did not - “that’s the nature of democracy”.

“People can attend meetings, gather information and pass it on to ratepayers.”

The Chronicle last reported on the Wanganui Ratepayers Association in 2021.

It was a “non-political, non-partisan association of local residents providing a forum for discussion on local issues”.

The association’s annual general meeting in 2021 was deemed invalid because there was no quorum - the minimum number of members that must be present to make the proceedings valid.

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe says the current rates environment has not been seen in a generation. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said he was fully supportive of the new group if it was being set up to have a constructive conversation with the council.

“I’ve seen some suggestions that rates [rises] are going to be 14 per cent and I don’t know where they’ve got that from,” Tripe said.

“That’s inaccurate and not overly helpful.

“We are happy to engage with them but only if it’s reasonable and constructive, not inflammatory.”

In a social media post promoting the group’s first meeting, Arnold asked if the community was happy with a 14 per cent rates rise.

“I had [district councillors] Michael Law and Ross Fallen come back at me about that,” he said.

“You hear these things in the community and it was probably a bit of a mistake to quote that figure without getting some sort of substantiation.”

Last December, the council released three possible rates scenarios, with 14.8 per cent being the highest option.

A final rates rise will not be signed off until the completion of community consultation on the council’s Long-term Plan (LTP), which is due to begin on April 2.

According to the draft LTP consultation document, a rates increase of 10.6 per cent is being suggested for the next financial year.

Arnold said that figure was still too high.

“I could probably afford it but I think there are a hell of people out there that can’t.”

He said essential services needed to be paid for and provided first and whatever was “left in the kitty” could go to the nice-to-haves.

“A lot of people don’t understand how local government is driven and they need to know how it all works.

“I see that as a role for the ratepayers association - for all of us to be better informed.”

Whanganui District councillor Ross Fallen. Photo / Bevan Conley

Fallen, a former Wanganui Ratepayers Association chairman, said the new group needed to be a non-political, non-aligned community voice.

“Make sure it’s a residents association too.

“People who are renters or are in our town on a short-term basis want to contribute as well.

“If it’s purely about ratepayers, it’s a very narrow focus.”

Arnold said residents were welcome to attend the group’s meetings.

“Even if you’re renting, you’re still paying rates through your landlord.”

Tripe said the council wanted to engage with the community and it had made moves to be more open, visible and transparent.

“We are never going to stop a community group coming together to work with us and help us get the message across, but also to challenge us.”

The current rates environment had not been seen in a generation, he said.

“Councils all across the world are struggling big time with massive costs.

“Bitumen, infrastructure costs, they’ve all gone up massively. Insurance has gone up 34 per cent for us.

“We need to navigate through these tough times but when things settle down, we have to maintain our identity but grow at the same time.”

The first meeting of the new ratepayer group will be held at Barracks Sports Bar on March 27 at 6.45pm.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.