We received hundreds of submissions online, by email and in hard copy. These were compiled in preparation for hearings which were held 12-16 April. Following the Hearings, Council will now make decisions on the Long Term Plan 2021-2031 at the Deliberations Council meeting on 12 May 2021.

Council are then due to adopt the final draft LTP 2021-2031 on 24 June 2021 and the LTP will become operational on 1 July 2021.

Our Long Term Plan consultation document sets out the big challenges for our region and looks at how we can deliver on our community outcomes and improve the wellbeing of our community.

We’ve summarised the main content in this section of our website, or you can download the full consultation document which includes a summary of our Council Outcomes and Priorities, financial and infrastructure strategies, at the link under Supporting documents.

Rates Calculator

You can use our Rates Calculator tool to give you an estimate of what the rates on your property would be, based on the various options outlined in the Long Term Plan 2021-2031.

The Long Term Plan is our key planning document which sets out the work we’ll do over the next 10 years – in detail for the first three years and more broadly for the following seven.

It outlines what we’ll do, why we’re doing it and how that work will be funded. It sets out how we’ll work to address key issues, and the level of our role in those issues.

New Zealand Councils must produce a Long Term Plan every three years, and develop an Annual Plan in each of the two years between this.

As part of the process for developing the Long Term Plan we produce a Consultation Document which sets out the main topics we need your feedback on.

Once this feedback is received (submissions), submitters have the option to present to Council in person (hearings), before Councillors consider the information to make decisions (deliberations), and the plan is adopted. We then report back to the community each year on the progress we’ve made in our Annual Report.