Council meeting decisions 26 March 2025

Annual Plan consultation

Consultation on Council’s 2025/26 Annual Plan will open 4 April with feedback wanted on funding of the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme and options for the Night Market.

A consultation document outlining the draft plan was approved by Council today to take out to the community for feedback.

The draft plan focuses on delivering what was set out for Year 2 of the 2024-34 Long-term Plan, which was adopted last year following community consultation. The plan includes:

• an average general rates increase of 7.95%
• a capital works programme of $145m
• borrowing of $41m

Consultation topics:

• Council wants feedback about how the Tarawera sewerage scheme should be funded, specifically whether the portion contributed through the Lakes Enhancement Rate that is charged to all Rotorua ratepayers within the Bay of Plenty regional council’s boundaries should be increased to reduce the amount paid by Tarawera ratepayers.
• The community is also being asked if there is a need to change how the Rotorua Night Market is delivered in future and with options provided for feedback including changing it from 12 to six months per year, moving it to another location and exploring the potential for someone else to run it.

Mayor Tania Tapsell said she was proud of what the council had achieved to date, which had included some “pretty big shifts and changes” to the organisation internally.

“I know that our community is facing very troubling times which is why we have worked so hard to not only reduce the rates [increase] but also of course to make sure there is no new borrowing,” the Mayor said.

The consultation document approved today will be available to the public from 4 April on the council’s Participate/ Whakapuakina Mai engagement platform. Consultation will run from 4 April until 5 May 2025.

Consultation on the annual plan will happen at the same time as, but separate to, consultation on Council’s proposed model for delivering water services, a requirement under Government’s Local Water Done Well programme.

A link to consultation information will be available on the home page of Council’s website (www.rotorualakescouncil.co.nz) from 4 April 2025.

See p8 of the meeting agenda for the full report on this matter.

See the presentation relating to this at the following link on Council’s website: ECM_21211032_v1_Adoption of Annual Plan 2025-26 consultation document

Go directly to this part of the recording of the livestreamed meeting via this link

Local Water Done Well consultation

Council has approved a preferred option for consultation for the future delivery of water services in the Rotorua district under the Government’s Local Water Done Well programme.

The preferred delivery model for our district is an in-house council waters division until 2028, moving to a CCO model after that.

Following a detailed assessment of the advantages of a multi-council grouping, a decision would be made in 2027 about whether to have water services delivered by a multi-council or Rotorua Lakes Council CCO.

The preferred option would provide certainty for Rotorua residents for the next three years as Council evaluates a multi-council grouping.

Following approval today of the delivery models to be included in consultation, Council will be asked to approve a consultation document at the next Infrastructure & Environment Committee meeting, on 2 April.

Consultation on the proposed water services delivery model will run from 4 April to 5 May 2025, at the same time as but separate to consultation on the draft 2025/26 annual plan.

Local Water Done Well aims to address New Zealand’ current and future water infrastructure challenges, recognising the importance of local decision-making and requiring councils to make sufficient investment in its waters infrastructure and to ringfence financing for this. It also introduces new legislation and regulatory requirements related to water, stormwater and wastewater services.

Councils must determine the best possible water services delivery model for their districts as part of a Water Services Delivery Plan and must consult their communities on their proposed delivery model.

A link to consultation information on Council’s will be available on the home page of Council’s website (www.rotorualakescouncil.co.nz) from 4 April 2025.

See p12 of the meeting agenda for the full report on this matter.

Go directly to this part of the recording of the livestreamed meeting via this link

Also on the agenda

Fluoridation decision

Council has confirmed its compliance with the Director General of Health’s directive to fluoridate the city’s central and eastern water supplies. This will be implemented from 28 March. See p23 of the meeting agenda for the full report on this matter and see more about the decision at the following link: Council to comply with directive to fluoridate two city water supplies - Rotorua Lakes Council

2025 Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) conference attendance

Council has approved Cr Trevor Maxwell attending alongside Mayor Tania Tapsell, Deputy Mayor Sandra Kai Fong and Chief Executive Andrew Moraes.

See p38 of the meeting agenda for the full report on this matter and go directly to this part of the recording of the livestreamed meeting via this link

Te Arawa Partnerships progress report

This covered the various work undertaken by Council’s Te Amorangi team, both internally and externally, and what is coming up. See p42 of the meeting agenda for the full report on this matter and go directly to this part of the recording of the livestreamed meeting via this link

Financial update

See p32 of the meeting agenda for the full report on this matter and see the presentation relating to financials at this link on Council’s website: PowerPoint Presentation Go directly to this part of the recording of the livestreamed meeting via this link

Mayor’s international travel report – Australia and China 2025

Council was updated on recent travel by Mayor Tapsell, to Sydney to speak at a “City Nation Space” Conference and attend the NRL All stars 2025 game and to China to attend the RotoruaNZ China Roadshow in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

See p47 of the meeting agenda for the full report on this matter, see the following link for additional information: Attachments of Council Meeting - Wednesday, 26 March 2025 and go directly to this part of the recording of the livestreamed meeting via this link

Today’s meeting was livestreamed and you can watch the full recording at the following link on Council’s YouTube channel: Rotorua Lakes Council Meeting - 26 March 2025