Gisborne District Council will carry out the most extensive three-year work plan in its history from today.

On Thursday last week Councillors officially adopted the 2024-2027 Three Year Plan (3YP) and set rates at 11.4 percent for the upcoming financial year, which starts today 1 July 2024.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz says they’ve listened to the community who have asked Council to focus on the basics.

The 3YP focuses on the recovery of the region’s infrastructure, roading, drainage and compliance.

“As a council we will be laser-focused over the next three years to make sure that we do this for our community.”

The 3YP includes $438 million of capital works that will be undertaken over the next three years and 90 percent of this is being spent on infrastructure.

Chief Executive Nedine Thatcher Swann says this is a first for our council.

“To put it into context - it would usually take ten years to deliver what this council will deliver in three years.

“I’d like to thank the work of Councillors and council staff over the past six to seven months who led this plan and met with the community to pull together this mammoth piece of work.”

The 11.4 percent rate increase was the lowest Councillors could go to address the challenges as a region while trying to balance affordability for ratepayers.

“We are operating in one of the toughest environments NZ has ever seen. The debt cap has been set at 175 percent, which is a reflection of the amount of work that needs to be done,” says Ms Thatcher Swann.

Mayor Stoltz says she hopes, after three years of hard work, that in 2027 Tairāwhiti can be more aspirational as a region and “lift our gaze for what we want to leave for our children in Tairāwhiti”.

Community consultation on the 3YP went from 20 March to 19 April. During this period, Council received a total of 173 formal submissions, containing approximately 582 individual submission points.

The majority of submitters agreed with the six preferred rate increase options presented for our water, roads, land drainage, large wood debris, townships and with our plans for future-proofing our waste disposal.

The final 3YP will be available next week, see Council’s website.

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