Thank you to those who submitted their feedback on the Proposed Fees and Charges 2024/25.

Next steps:

• Analysis of the feedback.
• Hearings early May. If you selected to present your submission verbally at a public council hearing we will be in touch with further details.
• Council to review proposed Fees and Charges 2024/25.

Waipā’s fees and charges are reviewed annually and updated when required to better reflect the true cost of providing services as outlined in our Revenue and Financing Policy.

Where a service or activity is intended to benefit an individual customer (for example a dog registration benefits an individual dog owner, or a resource consent benefits the individual applicant), Council will apply a fee or charge to cover the cost of delivering that service. The aim is to shift a proportion of the cost to the people who get the most use out of the service, rather than the general ratepayer.

When setting fees and charges, a number of considerations are kept in mind, including indirect benefit to the community, distribution of benefits and ability to pay. We need to take into account external costs such as interest rates and inflation, as well staff time and expenses like electricity and insurance.

You can download the Draft Schedule of Fees and Charges (Schedule), which includes all of Council’s professional fees (hourly rates) have increased across Council due to inflation and are reflected in many of the fees that are increased.

Local Authority travel costs have increased from $0.83 to $0.95 per km, in line with the Inland Revenue Department mileage rate.

Most fees and charges for the 2024/25 year have been increased by 10 per cent, with some exceptions.

Increases of more than 10 per cent include:

• Alignment with market rates: For example, the fees associated with trade waste.
• Regulatory and other fees: For example, increases in Land Information Memoranda (LIM) costs to reflect the increases in staff costs when completing this service.
• Registration of Premises under the Health Act 1956: Registration fees were increased to better reflect the current market rate and also broken down into two items; ‘renewal’ registration fees and ‘new’ registration fees. Previously ‘renewals’ and ‘new’ processes were lumped as one fee.
• Mighty River Domain – Lake Karapiro accommodation and events: These fees were updated to reflect the commercial benefits derived from this site for event hire and related services, accommodation and camping facilities. In addition, these fees were last updated in 2020/21.

Increases of less than 10 per cent:

• Building consent: A small number of fees are set by the Building Act 2004 regulations; these fees have been updated to reflect the Government’s set fees.
• Cemetery fees: Fees remain the same for ashes but increase for casket burials to incentivise interment of ashes.
• Overweight permits: No increase, current fees enable cost recovery.
• Registration of Premises under the Food Act 2014: Small increases to better reflect the current market rate.
• Library fees: Small increases for non-residential subscriptions. Fees to borrow items will remain unchanged to incentivise community use.
• Library community space (Te Awamutu): Commercial hireage costs have increased but there is no increase for community use to encourage use and provide some financial relief for non-profit groups.
• Museum fees (Te Awamutu): Most of the current fees enable cost recovery. The research service time fee has increased to reflect increases in staff costs when completing this service.

Want to know more? You can head on over to our further reading section, to the right, and download the Statement of Proposal and the Draft Schedule of Fees and Charges.