Buller District Council adopts 2025-2034 Long-Term Plan

01 Jul 2025

Buller District Council adopted the recommendation for a 6.43% increase in total rates for the 2025-2026 financial year at yesterday’s full council meeting, as part of the Long-Term Plan 2025-2034 approval process.

The Draft Long-Term Plan 2025-2034 and related consultation document was adopted by council on 23 April 2025 and made publicly available for consultation from 25 April to 26 May 2025.

Deliberations were held on 11 and 12 June and resulted in the proposed general rates increase of 5.95% and a total rates movement of 6.43%. This indicative rate informed the preparation of the final Long-Term Plan document.

The proposed general rates portion of the increase is driven by a reduction of the shareholder dividend received from Buller Holdings Limited. Previously, council budgeted $1.3m for this, however due to ongoing challenges, $800,000 has now been budgeted for the 2025-26 financial year.

Mayor Jamie Cleine says “This rate increase will take effect for the 2025-2026 rating year. The adjustment is seen as necessary to ensure our levels of service remain the same, as council realises this is of key importance to the community. The budget has had a clear focus on ensuring the core services are maintained and meet the requirements of government legislation.”

A lot of the decision making for this Long-Term Plan was carried out at the deliberations stage. Some of the key decisions were as follows:

  • Council chose a targeted rate for Westport and Carters Beach residents connected to the Westport Wastewater Treatment plant for the separation of stormwater cross connections
  • Council opted to remove the $6.1 million budget for the replacement of the EOC and Brougham House buildings from years two and three of the LTP but did approve $126,000 for a scoping study regarding the replacement of these buildings.
  • Council decided to become a guarantor of the Local Government Funding Authority (LGFA), which opens up around a $100,000 saving for the next financial year. This money has been allocated to fund further repairs and maintenance for community halls.
  • Council approved the purchase of compactors for the Westport and Reefton Transfer Station waste facilities.
  • Council approved the capital budget for the extension of Westport’s drinking water trunk main from Queen Street to Alma Road and approved committing to the works necessary to re-establish of the water supply’s North Branch/tunnel lining.
  • Council approved the funding of end-user self-treatment devices for the district’s untreated drinking water supplies in Waimangaroa, Mōkihinui and Little Wanganui, providing they meet the requirements of the legislation that will be outlined later this year.
  • Council approved replacement of the Riley Place Pump Station and related pipe network, which forms part of Westport’s wastewater network.

There were two supporting documents adopted as part of the meeting: the 30-year Infrastructure Strategy, and the Finance Strategy.

The new net debt limit set for council in the Financial Strategy is $57.4 million. This is due to an increase in overall costs and ongoing legislative requirements.

Council’s new fees and charges were approved previously but received final sign off during the meeting. As part of the setting of these charges, council aimed to ensure that there is a key focus on the ‘user pays’ element.

Due to the timing of decisions relating to Local Water Done Well, the Council’s auditors, Ernst & Young (EY), have issued an adverse opinion. Council prepared its financial statements using the best information available on Local Water Done Well at the time the Long-Term Plan 2025-2034 was drafted. This outcome is consistent with many other New Zealand councils.

Council also adopted a revised set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for Chief Executive Officer Simon Pickford. These indicators allow council to measure the CEO’s performance and focus on significant decisions that have come out of the Long-Term Plan deliberations and other key tasks.

“We understand the very real challenges the Buller community is currently facing with the rising costs of living, and going forward, will do all that is possible to balance delivery of essential services with affordability” concludes Mayor Cleine.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz

Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.