25/26 Annual Plan and Local Water Done Well Community Information
- NZ Empowered
- Apr 11
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 18
Click on the blue underlined words to go to the links.
11th April 2025
Get your 2025/2026 Upper Hutt and Regional Rates
For Wellington Regional Council Rates, go to this site and enter your homes Valuation. (CV/RV), it will give you your Wellington Regional Council rates.
For your Upper Hutt Rates, go to this site and enter your address which will give you your estimated rates for Upper Hutt.
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Council Annual Plan and Water Consultation
Annual Plan 2025/2026 Relevant Pages
Page 47 - Revenue and Financing
Page 80 - Gambling Venues Policy Review
Page 149 - Alcohol Licencing Subsidies.
Page 186 - Fees and Charges
Page 270 - Kerbside Recycling
Indicative per connection costs of Local Water Done Well
We are concerned that Water Done Well costs for our community are not being shared transparently.
As with the rates we believe people may again be hit from left field with massive cost increases and not have had time to budget for these costs.
Starting at around $7 Per day/$50 Per Week!!!!!!
We have been to quite a few “Annual Plan” meetings and spoken to people where a common theme is that people would like to know what the indicative prices would/could be.
The answers we have heard amount to, no we don’t have that information at present.
We believe there is a better understanding known by councils than they are sharing.
In the Annual Plan there are graphs showing indicative Rates Revenue, a graph showing Indicative Average Water Charges per connection, these graphs must come from base figures. Pg 29-30.
There is a report from Scott Consulting from October 2024 which highlights indicative costs.
We are going to share a few, we think, relevant pieces of information we have taken from the Oct 2024 Scott Consulting report. If you want to know more, we have linked the report or alternatively we have 2 council members who sit on the water committees who you can direct questions too. (Wayne Guppy and Dylan Bentley)
1. Average price per connection
Currently the average price per connection across the Wellington Region in 2024 is $1,711. ($32.90 per week)
Could be up to twice current prices or a peak of about $3,000 to $4,000. ($57.70- $76.90 per week)
Sustainable price is estimated at about $2,596 ($49.90 per week)
Price rises could be up to 9% per annum on average
What are the actual lending limits for the new Water Organisation?
2. What are the actual lending limits for the new Water Organisation?
Up to a level equivalent to 500% of operating revenues however depending on operational funds this could be less.
3. With Upper Hutt Council handing over water assets to the new CCO (Council Controlled Organisation) is any associated debt also being handed to the new CCO?
It has been assumed that the CCO will inherit about $2.3 billion of debt in 2027 from the councils. This is because when water assets transfer, so would the associated revenue collection powers and associated debt.
As Reference
Here is what we have found on how it works in Auckland, probably closely aligns with how it might work down here also..
Rates Myths
Having more properties means lower rates.
Developments, more houses on one section.
Rates are basically a piece of the pie. The council sets a budget it needs to run the services it has. Then from that budget it splits the amount required by the property’s valuations. So each rateable property pays its share of the pie.
Our CV’s lowering will mean we will have lower rates.
Our CV’s lowering means that the dividing up of the pie (Council budget required) is a different portion. Depending on the valuations your piece of the pie may slightly alter up or down, but all in all the piee of the rates pie will be the same.
Local Water Done Well Options
Upper Hutt Council are providing 2 options for our water,
(Option 1 - is the direction which Government wish regions to head towards)
A Council controlled organisation which will own and manage Water/Waste and Stormwater assets and services.
Existing Wellington Water with modifications to allow asset ownership and charge consumers for services.
(Option 2 - The status quo is a required option by the government legislation)
Overall, in essence these options are the same.
The organisation would still be council controlled
Both will own the water assets (Different than now)
Both will charge consumers for water services.
Cr Chris Carson stating, at the 11th Dec 2024 council meeting, that the two Local Water options are effectively the same.
Roadside Recycling.
The Council were given set up fees for this which will expire.
Concerns which have been raised in the public arena:
Lower Hutt has seen diligent recyclers having their bins removed and letters sent to them due to “illegal material” being put in the bins. Often this just simply a person walking past and being lazy to use a bin for their use. Sometimes it is simply that the numbers on the recycling items are hard to read...or education and rules are too complicated.
On going cost of $3 per week, or would you like a larger or multiple well maintained recycling centre/s which the council run.
Concerns over rubbish/recycling being blown around on windy days.
Concerns over large city-wide contracts are putting smaller businesses out of business and creating less competition, thus potential higher charges.
Fly Tipping (Illegal dumping of rubbish) is impacting our community and our environment. In just the last week there have been 4+ instances of fly tipping.
The current fine for fly tipping is $100.. Do you think this is too low? Why not have a conversation with a councillor about it and share your views on fly tipping and the fine imposed if caught.
Article : Rising tide of illegal dumping along the Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt Riverside
A Question on Community Engagement.
If you did not belong to this group, how do you feel the Council could best get valuable information out to you? We have seen Heather Newell, Hellen Swales, Tracey Ultra and Dylan Bentley personally want to be active in how the Council can best engage with the community.
Perhaps you could contact one of these councillors and discuss any ideas you may have.
Other Resources
Elected members of our council who are there to serve our community.
They should be able to help you navigate council process, weather operational
or governance.
Heather Blissett runs a safe environment to discuss ideas and concerns in our community
Free Advice service for our community run by volunteers.
Run by Ben Knowles – Basically an Online Upper Hutt Leader Newspaper
Website run by the community trying to put information in an understandable format.
The form does not allow the addition of a video but if you send a video to council that is great for knowing how serious the leak is. Recommend no longer than 10 seconds.
If it is serious, call an elected councillor to help you through the process.
Videos and pictures can be helpful when reporting issues.
Here is how to send a video/picture you have taken via email.
Different areas have different responsibility for the rubbish dumping.
For dumping along the Hutt River call Greater Wellington’s environmental pollution hotline on 0800 496 734
If you would like a printable copy of this document scan the link or head here www.nzempowered.com/info then click on Printable Information Document April 2025
