Proposed rates 2023/2024 search

Southland District Council is budgeting on residential rates rises ranging from 6% to 13% in its draft Annual Plan for 2023/2024.

The analysis is based on budget and rating information as at 4 February 2023 and may change before Council adopts the final 2023/2024 Annual Plan in June 2023.

The proposed rates changes will affect townships throughout the district differently depending on a range of factors, including the services provided in respective areas. 

The increase for residential properties is primarily being driven by:

• higher interest costs for water and sewerage loans
• the increased cost of waste services
• the removal of $1 million of reserve subsidies used in previous years to reduce sewerage rates. 

Because sewerage, water and rubbish are mainly provided in townships, these cost increases are impacting residential households the most.

The decision to move away from using reserves to reduce rates was signalled in Council’s 2021-2031 Long Term Plan (LTP).Overall total rates are budgeted to increase by $4.6 million, or 7.84%, over the previous year.

This compares with 5.75% projected for year three in the LTP. To show you how the proposed Annual Plan budget changes would affect your property, we have prepared a rates search tool below: