Rates

Let's get started and cover off what your rates consist of. There are three components to your rates.  

• Uniform annual general charge (UAGC)– is a fixed amount billed to all properties (regardless of the property’s value). For the rating year starting 1 July 2023, this is $550. 
• Targeted rates– are billed to each household for certain services or facilities that are available to the household.  These include sewerage, waste collection and water supply. 
• General rates– general rates not recovered through the UAGC are set by dividing the remaining general rates required by the land value of the districts properties.  Each property will pay its share based on its land value and the differential that applies to the property based on where it is located and the activity or use of the land. 

Summing up, everyone pays the UAGC, you pay for your waste collection, water service or any other service on a user base, and the rest of your rates is your share of what is needed to run the district that is not covered by the previous two.  

Council sets its rates annually as part of the Annual Plan. If you never heard about this big bulky and rich at numbers document, it contains what we internet to do over the coming financial year (1 July – 30 June) and how we are going to fund this.  

This will result in the rates for the coming year, which is one of the key information in the Annual Plan.  

We also have a policy that defines what activities like maintaining our water supplies is funded through what revenue. To put it in simple terms, this document describes how we are funding for example building consents. This can either be financed through rates, paid through fees and charges (like building consent fees) or a mix out of both.  

Each year, our staff calculates the amount required to deliver services like safe drinking water, community facilities, and Council’s operational costs for the year ahead as part of the Draft Annual Plan. 

They then figure out how to fund this, mainly through rates, and calculate the proposed rates increase which will make sure Council has the money to pay for what we promised. Hence the rates increase in the draft Annual Plan is an estimate. This estimate gets altered or signed off by Councilors and once approved comes into effect on 1 July as part of the Annual Plan.  

The rate increase in the approved Annual Plan is what you will be notified about and define how much rates you pay for the next 12 months. 

The total rates increase for the district in the 2023-2024 Annual Plan was 6.8%. The overall increase for your property might be quite different due to a number of factors.  

One reason is the three-yearly revaluation of properties. This was undertaken by Quotable Value Limited in 2023 and changes the value of your property, which is the base to calculate the general rates component.  

Another factor is what services (waste, water, etc) your property is connected to, and what targeted rates you pay to use these services. If some targeted rates change, this will only impact the targeted rates component for properties that use these services. This shift in targeted rates will contribute to the total rates increase of your property. 

The Annual Plan (page 36 –37) contains examples of the actual increase of rates for different parts of the district to give you a better indication, what will be your rates increase for the coming financial year.  

Overall, it is not all the same if it comes to rates and it really depends on what services you use, your land value, that will determine how much your rates increase. You will be notified of the exact amount and percentage in your rates notification in July. 

Rates provide around half of Council’s budgeted income and are with this the key income source for Council. Council’s remaining income is generated from fees and charges, subsidies and grants, Council investments, and distributions from Council Controlled Organisations like WestReef Services Ltd. 

Combined, this income pays for roads, stormwater and wastewater systems, water supplies, libraries, parks and reserves, and other infrastructure and services that Council supplies.  

You can see the share that each of the areas will receive over the next 12 months. This is based on the rates income of 19 million we have budgeted for in our 2023 –2024 Annual Plan.

The key point is that even though your properties land value may have increased by say 90%, that does not mean that your rates increase by 90%. How much your rates will increase is based on a number of factors including how much your property’s land value has increased in relation to the group of properties that make up the general rate differential pool applicable to your property. 

If you are unsure what general rate differential applies to your property this can be found on your full rates assessment notice supplied with your first rates instalment notice, or alternatively you can look it up on our rates look up. Just enter in your valuation number or property address to view the rates applicable to your property.  

Overall, the average increase in the general rates proposed to be collected in 2023/2024 by the variable land value based rate (or differential rate) compared to 2022/2023 is 10.49% in the Annual Plan. 

Post the rating revaluations whether the variable general rate payable by an individual property increases by 10.49% is again dependent on how your property increase has moved in relation to the differential group it belongs too. 

If your property value increase is lower than the average for the location/sector that you live in, then you will pay slightly less than the average general rates increase proposed of 6.8%. If your property land value increase is higher than the average movement, then you will pay slightly more than the average general rates increase proposed of 6.8%. 

You can find out more about rating valuations on our rating valuations page  

You can do a rates look-up on this website. To search for your property in our rating database you can use your address or your valuation number. 

Enter the street name followed by street number, e.g. Derby 92 using your address. Please do not enter a street type, e.g., road, avenue or lane.

If you use your valuation number, enter the valuation number e.g. 1897008700

For information on buying a property, see: www.settled.govt.nz

Note – while all due care has been taken, Buller District Council does not give any warranty that any information contained is accurate.

You can pay your rates in several convenient ways. Find out more about our payment options.  

Council would like to encourage you to make a payment online. Below is a video how to set up an online payment for your rates.

Council’s general rates are based on the land valuation of the property plus a Uniform Annual General Charge (if applicable).

Further charges are made for various services (water supply, sewage disposal, refuse collection, recycling and waste management) depending on the situation of the individual property.

Council’s rating year is 1 July to 30 June. There are four quarterly instalments covering the periods July – September, October – December, January – March, April – June.

The invoices for each respective quarter are forwarded to the ratepayer on or about 1 August, 1 November, 1 February and 1 May. An assessment for the annual rates is included with the first instalment invoice only.

If a ratepayer has not received an invoice within seven (7) days of these dates, then contact with Council should be made immediately. (It should be noted that the most common cause for this occurrence is that Council has not received a sale notice from the previous owner.)

The last day for payment of the quarters are 28 August, 28 November, 28 February and 28 May (or the first working day following these dates if any fall on a non-working day) – any amount not paid by the due dates shown will incur a penalty of 10% of the balance.

Council must resolve annually to set and assess the rates described in the 2022-2023 (Rating) Funding Impact Statement.

This resolution must cover all of the rates, definitions and details included in the Funding Impact Statement. The Funding Impact Statement is included in the final and adopted Annual Plan.

Council must also resolve the due dates for rates and metered water, and how penalties will be applied to late payment.

Please check out our rates review proposal.

Below is the Resolution of Council from the meeting held on Wednesday 28 June 2023.

RESOLVED that the Council:

(a)    That the rates listed in the attached Schedule 1 (being those listed  in the Funding Impact Statement of the 2023-2024 Annual Plan), as adopted at the Council meeting of 28 June 2023 are set under the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 (“the Act”) on rating units in  the district for the financial year commencing 1 July 2023 and ending on 30 June 2024.

(b)    That each of the rates for the financial year are set under the  following sections of the Act:

1. General Rates

        1.1   General (differential) Land Rate – Section 13

        1.2   Uniform Annual General Charge – Section 15

2. Water Supply Rates

        2.1   Targeted Water Supply Rate(s) – Section 16 & Schedule 3

        2.2   Metered Water Rate – Section 19

3. Sewage Disposal Rates

        3.1   Targeted Sewage Disposal Rate(s) – Section 16 &  Schedule 3

4. Waste Management Rates

        4.1   Targeted Waste Management Rate(s) – Section 16 &   Schedule 3

(c)    That all rates will be payable in 4 instalments with the due dates  being:

1. Instalment 1 – 28 August 2023
2. Instalment 2 – 28 November 2023
3. Instalment 3 – 28 February 2024
4. Instalment 4 – 28 May 2024

(d)    That rates for metered water will be payable by the 20th day of the  month following the invoice date, sic:

1. July 2023 invoice – 20 August 2023
2. August 2023 invoice – 20 September 2023
3. September 2023 invoice – 20 October 2023
4. October 2023 invoice – 20 November 2023
5. November 2023 invoice – 20 December 2023
6. December 2023 invoice – 20 January 2024
7. January 2024 invoice – 20 February 2024
8. February 2024 invoice – 20 March 2024
9. March 2024 invoice – 20 April 2024
10. April 2024 invoice – 20 May 2024
11. May 2024 invoice – 20 June 2024
12. June 2024 invoice – 20 July 2024

(e)    That all unpaid rates will incur penalties on the penalty dates being:

1. Instalment 1 – 29 August 2023
2. Instalment 2 – 29 November 2023
3. Instalment 3 – 29 February 2024
4. Instalment 4 – 29 May 2024
5. Any year’s rates struck prior to 1 July 2023 – 1 September 2023

(f)    That all unpaid balance of metered water rates will incur penalties  on the penalty dates being:

1. July 2023 invoice – 21 August 2023
2. August 2023 invoice – 21 September 2023
3. September 2023 invoice – 21 October 2023
4. October 2023 invoice – 21 November 2023
5. November 2023 invoice – 21 December 2023
6. December 2023 invoice – 21 January 2024
7. January 2024 invoice – 21 February 2024
8. February 2024 invoice – 21 March 2024
9. March 2024 invoice – 21 April 2024
10. April 2024 invoice – 21 May 2024
11. May 2024 invoice – 21 June 2024
12. June 2024 invoice – 21 July 2024

(g)    That Council apply the following penalties in terms of Sections 57    and 58 of the Act:

1. On the penalty date a ten percent (10%) charge to be added to the balance of rates (excluding metered water rates) left owing  of the instalment due on that
2. A charge of five percent (5%) be added on 1 September 2023 to any balance owing from any year’s rates struck prior to 1 July
3. On the 21st day of each month, a charge of 10% to be added to any balance of the metered water rates owing from that total amount invoiced in the previous month (as set out in Section (D) above).
4. That rates shall be payable at Council’s main office, Brougham Street, Westport (open 8.30am - 4.30pm, Monday to Friday), or   the Service Centre at 67 - 69 Broadway, Reefton (open 8.30am - 4.30pm), or by using on-line banking, or through direct credit, direct debit, or credit card.