What's the Long Term Plan?

The Long Term Plan, or LTP for short, is a detailed planning document prepared every three years by Council which sets out Council’s direction for the next 9 years.

It details how we plan to pay for Council’s activities and key projects, how we plan to manage all of our assets and infrastructure and how we intend to achieve our vision and community wellbeing. Two other key documents sit alongside and inform the LTP, these are:

➔ Financial Strategy

➔ 30-year Infrastructure Strategy

Why should you care?

The LTP affects everyone in the district, not just ratepayers. Whether it’s water supply, sewage treatment, rubbish and recycling, roads, footpaths, parks and reserves, the library, building control or animal management – to name just a few, it’s about working together to achieve common ground and deliver on what’s best for the wider district and the communities that reside within.

Council is proposing rates increases of 9.2% for 2025/26, 5.2% for 2026/27, 6.8% for 2027/28, and an average increase of 2.8% per annum for the remaining 6 years.

This approach will help Council tackle our challenges head-on while avoiding the cost of servicing debt if we were to delay any rates increases.

The choices Council makes now, will create a roadmap for the next 9 years. The key issues we need your help with are:

1. How do we best manage the impact of rates increases?
2. How should we manage our roading budget?
3. Should we provide additional funding towards the development of a multi-use track?

Plus, we're also proposing changes to our fees and charges, annual grants and other policy changes.

Want more information?

Go to our Tell me more section below to find more information about each of the above issues

You can find all of the supporting documents on this page.