THE NEXT 10 YEARS

Waipā is growing, and growing fast. By 2050, an additional 25,000 people will have chosen to live here, raising their families and contributing to what makes Waipā so special.

With our outstanding natural environment, rich cultural history, world-class facilities and people who care deeply about their place, it’s no wonder people want to move here and the Waipā district is New Zealand’s Home of Champions.

But communities like Waipā don’t just ‘happen’. For decades, we’ve invested carefully to build highly sought-after communities our people can afford to live in. Over the next decade, ongoing investment – at the right level - will be more important than ever.

Our story for the district is ambitious, but affordable.

Over the next 10 years, it will cost $1.26 billion to run our district. Of this, we’re planning to spend more than $190m on new infrastructure to ensure we’re ready for the growth coming our way.

Growth is a great challenge to have – when it’s managed well. Growth means our towns can continue to be vibrant, active places. Growth also means more people, more facilities, diversity and a growing economy. Our job is to make sure that any new development preserves and improves the character of our towns and protects the things we love about our district. Without this growth we would struggle to maintain the facilities, services, and infrastructure we all enjoy.

This document summarises how Council will ensure we’re ready to welcome new people while retaining the history and character of our towns and communities.

Another $58m will be spent on community projects that make our district such a great place to be. We will be continuing to invest in our walkways and cycleways, our reserves and our playgrounds. Plus we’re looking to make some exciting changes to the way we preserve and manage our significant heritage and ecological sites.

By taking a look at our finances and making some smart decisions around how we fund these projects and our growth, we are looking at an average annual rates increase over the next 10 years of 2.23 per cent. This value includes water meter charges which as of 1 July, will be charged separately and depend on how much water you use on your property. Not including water supply, our average rates increase is 1.53 per cent.

We are taking some bold steps to make sure our district continues to thrive for years to come. While we can never afford to do everything, this draft plan provides a balance of essential infrastructure and exciting community projects.

As a district, we are in a great financial position and it’s exciting to be able to share these projects with you.

On behalf of the Councillors, we look forward to hearing what you have to say about the story we’re planning for the next 10 years.

Mayor Jim Mylchreest