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Two new Rates Remissions and Postponement policies have been adopted - The Rates Remission and Postponement Policy (All Land) and Māori Freehold Land (MFL)

All applications for remissions for the 2024/25 financial year need to be submitted to by 31 July 2024.

A new rates remission eligibility tool for Māori Freehold Land is available to help determine whether a remission may apply.

Two new Rates Remissions and Postponement policies have been adopted by Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council to create uniformity and equity in how property rates remissions (reductions) are applied across the rohe.

Before it began collecting rates directly in 2022, Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s rates remissions followed the policies of the relevant local council, so properties were treated differently depending on where they were situated.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Rates Manager Jo Pellew explained that the new policies are designed to both support the community and underpin the principles and priorities of council.

“The Rates Remission and Postponement Policy (All Land) recognises, among other things, the value that sporting, community, and not-for-profit organisations provide, and offers a remission of up to 100% of their rates.

“We want to reward landowners for environmentally enhancing or protecting land as well as ensuring that those experiencing financial hardship are treated fairly,” she said.

The new policy also standardises the treatment of properties treated as a single property for rating purposes – otherwise known as contiguous properties. Council will follow the legislative minimum, which will be phased in over a period of two years. All affected landowners will be contacted by the Regional Council’s rates team within the next few weeks.

The Rates Remission and Postponement Policy for Māori Freehold Land (MFL) is the first of its kind for Toi Moana, acknowledging the history and complexities of Māori land. It recognises that from a te ao Māori perspective, land is valued for a multitude of reasons other than simply as a resource to be used or developed.

The Rates Remission and Postponement Policy for Māori Freehold Land (MFL) includes broadening how the Regional Council defines Māori Land for the purpose of rates remissions. Postponements for economic use will now be available under the new policy,

A new rates remission eligibility tool for Māori Freehold Land is available on the Regional Council’s website to help support the decision-making process in determining whether a remission may apply.

All applications for remissions for the 2024/25 financial year need to be submitted to the Regional Council by 31 July 2024. The majority of potential remissions recipients should be contacted within the next few weeks, but people are encouraged to complete the application by filling in the relevant forms which are available on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website.

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