He Kupu nā te Manukura - Mayor’s message

E ngā iwi puta noa i tō tatau rohe o Rotorua, tēnā tatau.

The 2019/20 financial year is year two of our 2018-2028 Long-term Plan, a 10-year plan that connects the district’s 2030 vision to action and invests in work programmes and projects for the benefit of our community, based around five key themes;

The Long-term Plan (LTP) includes significant investment in maintaining, renewing and improving key infrastructure like roads, stormwater, wastewater networks and schemes, water supplies and sports, recreation, community and cultural facilities.

Nine months in we are reviewing progress made and setting our budgets and work programmes for the 2019/20 financial year. We want to share with you some adjustments needed as a result of key challenges we face and seek your feedback on one key matter.

The world around us has not significantly changed since we adopted the LTP but challenges like sourcing of external funding, our ongoing commitment to engagement and partnering, the condition of assets and lengthy resource consenting processes have impacted on what we’ve been able to achieve in year one (2018/19). This will result in changes to overall timing of some of our planned programme of work and, in some cases, changes to costs.

This document provides a summary of developments related to projects and work and the necessary changes to our 2019/20 budgets against what was indicated in the LTP. We have worked hard to review and make adjustments, where prudent, to planning and budgets, while remaining mindful of not compromising the objectives of individual projects or our LTP.

An average rates increase of 4.9% is proposed for the 2019/20 year. This is lower than the 5.1% rise indicated in our LTP and is the result of a targeted approach to identifying opportunities for additional revenue alongside efficiency savings.

Much of our work in 2019/20 will continue as set out in our LTP with no significant changes but one key topic we would like feedback about relates to the pressures on our wastewater services and a proposal for an alternative way to deliver this service across the district.

There will be a number of ways for you to tell us what you think and have your say.

We look forward to your input as we continue the journey to “colour” Rotorua’s future – for you, your tamariki and mokopuna, and the progress of this wonderful district we all call home.

Together – tatau tatau – we can and do make a difference.

Hon Steve Chadwick JP

Mayor of Rotorua