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Cyclone Gabrielle highlighted major vulnerabilities in the infrastructure we all use every day - from our drinking water, wastewater and stormwater to roading, flood protection and even managing our waste.
We estimate our infrastructure alone suffered $1.1 billion in damage, that includes $725m for roading and $172m to clear large wood debris.
This is huge and the future resilience of our infrastructure requires significant investment. We won’t be able to do this alone and will continue to partner with government to ease the financial burden.
Our 2024-2027 budget is significantly different from where we thought we'd be when the Long Term Plan for 2021-2031 was adopted. Work's ongoing, and we have a lot to do to mend and heal as we keep Tairāwhiti moving forward.
We know cost, resources and the need to keep rates as low as possible will all affect our ability to build back with resilience.
Despite tremendous challenges we have come up with a sound financial strategy, outlining how we pay for the day-to-day core services while building back stronger. We simply can't tackle all of the issues, if we did it would mean a rates increase of more than 20%.
To do everything in this plan, within the timeframe with the resources we have -
We don’t want to ‘max out the credit card’ when it comes to the amount we’re prepared to borrow. We need to save for a rainy day and be prepared for more severe weather events to come.
What we spend depends on how much we provide to our communities. If we do more – either to meet new standards or because you would like to see us do more, then our costs increase.
We can lower costs but this will mean reducing our levels of service in some areas.
The plans we make will touch the lives of everyone in our region – that’s why we want to know if we have the balance right. We’ve talked about our recovery plans, some of which are funded by central government, and some aren’t.
We also have to absorb rising costs from inflation in providing our much-needed every day services. We're working hard to keep rates affordable while still doing what needs to be done.
Our 3 year plan outlines what recovery work and services we will focus on, how we’ll pay and what it means for rates and debt.
We're asking you to look at what we propose - the options show what we can deliver within our budget constraints versus what we could achieve with more money.
Managing our waters - drinking water, wastewater and stormwater is the most important responsibility we have.
Cyclone Gabrielle highlighted the vulnerability we face with our city’s water supply. Multiple breaks in the pipeline caused major water restrictions for residents and businesses for months.
Our roads are our lifelines and our single biggest cost.
Our local road network was already in a fragile state following 9 severe events since 2021. Our maintenance and construction budget has been stretched due to multiple storms, heavy freight and rising costs of fuel and materials.
Flood protection networks across our region have been impacted by storm events and 2 cyclones causing reduced drain channel capacity by silt building up. This left many residents vulnerable to compromised drainage and heightened risk of future flooding.
Unprecedented volumes of wood debris were mobilised during Cyclone Gabrielle causing widespread damage.
LWD impacted and threatened bridges, roads, our water pipeline, residential homes, waterways and beaches.
There's a significant shortfall in funding from government to clear large wood debris in the hill and water catchments. We're likely to see the mobilisation of large wood debris for a number of years to come.
Our townships are vital in supporting the health and wellbeing of our people in rural communities.
We upgrade 2 townships each year, that includes footpaths, new or improved playgrounds, walking and cycling improvements and street plantings and signage.
Cyclone Gabrielle highlighted the issue we have with transporting waste out of the district. We need to be more prepared to deal with possible future events where our region may be cut off from the rest of the country if the state highways close.
We’re proposing a maximum rates increase of 11.4% in the 2024/25 financial year.
There's more work than we can do, rising costs, affordability stretched and our focus for the next 3 years
Resilient and healthy waters, safe and healthy people, effective regulatory functions, building back our damaged roading network, sustainable and resilient waste management.
Our recovery plan prioritises infrastructure repairs with building back stronger to be prepared for potential future risks.
The recovery plan estimates we need about $1.1 billion for recovery efforts over several years.
Do you agree with our preferred options or would you prefer to pay more to get more done.
It's important we receive your submission by Friday 19 April.
Have your say on the draft 2024/25 fees and charges, rate remission and postponement policy, revenue and financing policy and the development contributions policy
Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:
| Phone | 0800 653 800 (24 hours) |
|---|---|
| service@gdc.govt.nz | |
| Website | www.gdc.govt.nz |
| In writing | 15 Fitzherbert Street |
