Would 3-percent rates cap help tame growing concerns? – December 2024

One in every 10 South Wairarapa residents _ 1020 of the district’s 10,000+ _ signed a petition seeking a 3% rates cap for next year, after the past five years saw rates rise an average of 96%. 

Councillors received the petition at a formal meeting, thanked the group and, surprisingly to some,  immediately began planning to include some residents and “stakeholders” in budget and work programme workshops during December.

The group which organised the rates cap petition over the past month said the SWDC’s rates hike is “a higher rate of increase than anywhere else in New Zealand.” Inflation over the same period was one quarter of the 96 percent rates rise.

For hundreds of households, the new capital value rating system means “increases of close to 200 percent are being paid” by some, group spokeswoman Leah Hawkins said.

At the South Wairarapa District Council meeting, she said signatories were “deeply concerned about the financial pressures these rates increases have put on households and businesses.”

Hawkins warned councillors that “ratepayers can’t sustain the tzunami of spending coming our way” for upgrading essential water, waste water and roading projects _ let alone the many other spending requirements the council is facing. … Continue Reading

Power of the People

By Angela Brown

As we approach the end of 2024, Board members would like to thank the Martinborough community for your continued support and engagement.

It is truly uplifting to see what our community achieves _ often with little financial funding but

with plenty of passion.

A petition was recently organised by Leah Hawkins to ask the council to cap rates and reduce spending – together with her supporters they collected over 1,000 signatures! 

It was presented to the council at the November meeting. Councillor Aidan Ellims asked to suspend Standing Orders to allow discussion around the table about the petition, this was agreed unanimously. Almost 10% of the district signed the document – it is a huge achievement and gives a very strong voice to be heard as we progress with the Long Term Plan. … Continue Reading

Playing catch-up: Rural & Coastal Advisory Group

South Wairarapa is moving to catch up with neighbouring districts Masterton and Carterton which have implemented a new tier of local representation by setting up rural advisory groups as part of their council processes.

South Wairarapa has identified 10 rural and coastal communities it believes should be incorporated in what planners have labelled a Rural and Coastal Advisory Group.

Work on setting up a formal group of up to six people to reflect the issues of coastal and rural dwellers is well advanced, based on the models of the neighbours, with similar bodies in Marlborough and Otago _ where the key focus is on emergency management.  … Continue Reading

Remember: stock the shelf with good books

Wairarapa Library Service libraries will be closing on Friday 20 December for the Christmas/New Year period and will re-open at 9:30 a.m. on Monday 6 January.

So remember to come in ahead of time to stock up on all your holiday reading, as well as DVDs and puzzles for the occasional rainy day! 

If you happen to run out of reading material while we’re closed, you can access our digital collection instead. With the Libby app, you can browse and borrow from thousands of e-books, e-magazines and audiobooks.  … Continue Reading