Tasman’s updated rates bills were sent out last week and ratepayers are furious.
Shocking, ridiculous, and disgusting are just some the words used on a Facebook thread discussing the hikes to their rates bills.
Tasman District Council’s annual plan forecast a 9.9 percent increase in its rates revenue; however, many are dealing with dollar-figure increases that are difficult to stomach.
Richmond resident Susan Eden told Local Democracy Reporting that she had a “ludicrous” $544 increase – a challenge for someone on a sickness benefit.
“I’ve cut down on food,” she says. “Being on the benefit is real struggle. You’re constantly doing budgeting… I can’t save anything anymore. It’s basically pay week to pay week.”
Last financial year she got the rates rebate, but even with the rebate, she says, the rates were “too much”.
Susan is now selling and looking to move away from the region, closer to her family, because of the cost of living.
Rates specifically were a concern, and she was currently looking at Rakaia where the rates were “a lot cheaper”.
“I don’t want to go, but I feel I’m going to have to.”
She did not think the council was listening to its community and was spending too much on facilities than only a small number of people used.
Moutere resident Lisa Stevens put her increase at 14 percent, or around $810.
“I’ve already reduced the amount of food that I’m buying. I don’t put the heat pumps on as much as I used to… and I’ve stopped driving places because of the diesel cost,” she says.
“I can’t work out where else to reduce.”
She was connected to the “disgusting” Dovedale rural water scheme and did not think her rates reflected the services she was provided.
“The water is brown… the dogs don’t even like drinking it. It’s wrong, and I pay nearly three and a half grand for that.”
Lisa understood that ratepayers collectively funded infrastructure, but thinks the council needed to focus on “the basics” and stop “wasteful spending”, such as on the old Wensley Road speed bumps, speed limit reductions, and the Wakefield laundry pod.
“It won’t be long before we’re forced out of our house… That’s just bullsh*t and unfair.”
The council’s strategic planning and enterprise manager, Dwayne Fletcher, says the council was aware of the cost pressures on the community.
Three business reviews had been undertaken in as many years to find savings, however about 90 percent of council activities were required by law.
“The 10% that’s not are the things like the aquatic centre and Saxton Field and things that people really, really value,” he says.
Dwayne says that the council was “very careful” with its money and was in the bottom third of all councils for both staff numbers and rates per capita.
“It’s unfortunate that we’ve just got a high inflationary environment on $2.7 billion in assets, a storm, and increasing compliance and obligations in the three waters area.”
The council’s total rates revenue has increased by 9.9 percent.
Of that total, 5 percent related to the increasing costs of three waters compliance, as required by the national water regulator, and 2.3 percent related to the cost of recovering from last year’s June-July floods, which was covered by the flat $123.48 charge on all rateable units.
The rest of council business was covered off by the remaining 2.6 percent which, Dwayne highlights, was lower than inflation.
The Government’s proposed rates cap specifically excludes three waters and emergency costs, so the 9.9 percent would be compliant.
Tasman’s rates increase should have been 11.4 percent, but the council opted to debt-fund the 1.5 percent excess to keep the increase below double digits.
Because of the district’s wide range of targeted rates, rates increases occur differently depending on which services a property used.
Those that were disconnected from three waters services, for example, would see a much lower increase than those that were connected.
About 54% of the district's 26,660 rateable units saw their rates increase by above 9.9%, with the rest seeing increases below that level.
In dollar terms,13.6% of rateable units saw their bills increase by $0–$200, 23% by $201–400, 49% by $401–$600, and 14.2% by more than $601.
Just 0.2% of rateable units saw their rates bills decrease.
Rates increased 9.9% for the current 2026/27 financial year, 8.9% for 2025/26, 11.1% for 2024/25, and 8.6% for 2023/24.
