A new targeted rate is being proposed by the Waikato Regional Council, for a river and catchment management programme on the Wharekawa Coast.
The proposed programme, outlined in the council’s 2025/26 annual plan, will cover an area of over 20km between Waharau and Pūkorokoro/Miranda on the western shore of the Firth of Thames. The area is one of the few within the Waikato region that does not already have a formal catchment management programme.
The council said works included under the programme, such as upper catchment stability control, river management, clearing of blockages, wetland protection and enhancement, and natural erosion measures, are needed to improve the community’s resilience to extreme weather events.
The work is expected to take place over the next ten years, at a cost of $150,000 per annum. The council is proposing to fund 70 per cent of the project through a new targeted rate paid for by the Wharekawa community, and is seeking feedback on the structure of the targeted rate.
Two options have been outlined in the council’s annual plan consultation document.
Option one, the council’s preferred option, is for direct beneficiaries of the programme (those with properties on low-lying areas of the coastal plain) to contribute more to the targeted rate – their contribution would be $18.10 per $100,000 of capital value (CV). Meanwhile, Wharekawa ratepayers with hilly or inland properties would pay $4.86 per $100,000 of CV.
Option two would consist of a flat targeted rate, with all properties in the Wharekawa community contributing $9.95 per $100,000 of CV.
The remaining 30 per cent of the catchment management programme’s cost would be funded through the council’s general rate and would amount to around $0.02 per $100,000 of CV for all other Waikato ratepayers, similar to other catchment management programmes in the region.
A public drop-in session addressing the proposed changes will be held in Kaiaua on April 12.
DETAILS: The Waikato Regional Council’s annual plan is currently out for consultation, with submissions being accepted until April 30. Go to waikatoregion.govt.nz/annualplan to find out more.
Drop-in session: April 12, 10am-12pm at Kaiaua Community Hall, Lipscombe Rd.
