Long Term Plan 2024-27
Our formal consultation for our Long Term Plan (LTP) proposals closed on 28 April. You can still view this page here. The final plan, Te Pae Tata - Three Year Long Term Plan 2024-27 was adopted on 26 June 2024.
The Long Term Plan (LTP) is the council's key strategic planning document, which will set out what we plan to do in the next three years and how we will pay for it. The LTP is an opportunity to think about the best way we can support our communities' social, cultural, environmental, and economic wellbeing. That means making sure our services – such as roading, water systems, libraries, and service centres – are fit for purpose and that we can afford to pay for them.
The LTP usually looks 10 years ahead, but the back-to-back weather events of 2022 and 2023 have had a significant impact on repair costs for our district. Because of this, the government is allowing the Far North and seven other councils in Aotearoa to reduce their Long Term Plan forecasts to just three years. This will allow the council to focus on repairing damaged infrastructure, particularly roads, and make the best use of government funding.
Consultation Summary
The consultation period ran from 27 March to 28 April 2024. We sought feedback on three key proposals:
- Issue 1: Should we change the way we rate stormwater across the district?
- Issue 2: Should we change the way we rate for those who access or could access water supply and wastewater services?
- Issue 3: How do we continue to provide community services in the future?
Throughout the consultation period, staff and elected members engaged with the community through six drop-in sessions and pop-up meeting events across the district, providing residents opportunities for one-on-one, in-depth discussions on the proposal.
We received 506 submissions during the consultation period. You can see the written feedback we received here: 2024-34 Long Term Plan - Submissions.
People who asked to present their views in person to our elected members were able to speak to their responses at our verbal submissions meetings held on 30 April, 1 May, and 3 May. Recordings of the hearings are available on the council’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
You can still read our consultation document here. If you still have questions, check out the ‘Supporting information’ section below for more in-depth information, and be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions.
What's next for our LTP?
- Te Pae Tata - Three Year Long Term Plan 2024-27 was adopted by the council on 26 June
- The plan came into effect on 1 July 2024.
What was decided at our LTP deliberations?
The council held deliberation meetings on 6 June and 13 June 2024 to discuss and debate the proposed issues as well as any other matters that arose from the submissions received.
In addition to the issues we asked for your feedback on, many submitters raised other issues that are of importance to them. We would like to acknowledge and thank everyone who submitted their thoughts, feedback and comments either in writing or verbally.
Read the full summary of the consultation outcomes and decisions on page 10 of the final plan: Te Pae Tata - Three Year Long Term Plan 2024-27.
Stay up to date:
- Watch the recordings of our hearings and deliberations meetings on our YouTube channel
- Read the LGNZ report by Infometrics that sets out cost pressures and rising infrastructure costs that local councils are facing.