FAQs

Q. What are we consulting on?

We’re consulting on two things – Northland’s Draft Long Term Plan 2012-2022, and the Regional Land Transport Programme 2012-2015.

Northland’s Draft Long Term Plan 2012-2022 sets out what we’re proposing to do for the next 10 years, and how we will pay for it.  We’re required to review and consult on this plan every three years.

The Regional Land Transport Programme is a proposed plan for Northland’s land transport activities for the next three years, including district council roading programmes, state highways works and public transport services.  This programme is used to bid for government funds.

Q. How long is the consultation period?

Consultation starts on Monday 19 March 2012 and closes at 3pm on Thursday 19 April 2012.  This one-month consultation period meets legislative requirements and is on par with most other councils.

Q. How can I make a submission?

There are several ways to make a submission.

• Make an online submission here at have your say   
• Download and complete a submission form from the Library and post or fax it to us
• Email us at mailto:mailroom@nrc.govt.nz  

Visit us at one of our regional offices (or call us) and we’ll record your submission.

Q. What happens to early and late submissions?

Early submissions are treated like on-time submissions – that is, as long as a submission reaches us by 3pm on Thursday 19 April it will automatically be considered in the council’s decisions. 

Any submission received after the deadline date and time is classified as a late submission.  Late submissions are considered at the council’s discretion and may not be included in the copied public submission books or considered during long term plan decision meetings.

Q. Do I have to use an official submission form?

No.  We accept submissions in any written form.  Official submission forms – including the electronic form on the website – are provided for your convenience.  We encourage use of the electronic forms where possible because it reduces our administration processes (and costs).

Q. Can I make a verbal submission?

Yes.  This year we’re offering for submissions to be written down by council officers – at the regional office receptions (Whāngārei, Kaitāia, Opua and Dargaville) and over the telephone.

Q. Will all submissions be made public?

Yes.  All submissions go into public submission books for the hearing and decision meetings, unless there are legal grounds within the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act to withhold the submission from the general public. 

If you believe your submission should be withheld from the general public, you need to state that reason on your submission.

Q. What consultation material is available?

A summary (covering both the Draft Long Term Plan and the Regional Land Transport Programme) is being delivered to mailboxes region-wide. 

Full plans for both, and the summary, are also available:

• At libraries across the region
• At the regional council offices
• Through the Library on this website

The information is available from Monday 19 March 2012.

Q. What if I don’t receive a summary?

If you don’t receive a summary in your letterbox, you can view one:

• On our website at http://www.nrc.govt.nz/summary
• At libraries across the region

At the regional council offices.

Q. What is the online discussion forum?

Our new online discussion forum means you can share your views with others, agree or disagree with comments posted by others, or ask us questions to get more information.

This is being trialled for the first time, and is only available for Northland’s Draft Long Term Plan.

Q. Will a comment on the discussion forum be considered as a submission?

No.  This forum gives the opportunity to discuss issues and share their opinions – comments are not treated as submissions.

Q. What if someone posts something rude or derogatory?

The online discussion forum is moderated for bad language and inappropriate comments that include personal attacks.

Q. Are there any public meetings?

We have invited a wide range of community organisations to host us for a presentation and to answer questions.  Ruakaka and Opononi residents and ratepayer associations and the Dargaville Rotary Club have agreed to open their meeting to the public – which we will be advertising in the local papers.  Iwi leaders from four iwi have agreed to meet with us collectively.  We hope to secure more groups in the coming weeks. 

Over the past two months we have met with river liaison committees in the areas with proposed projects, new rates or rate increases.

Q. What is a Draft Long Term Plan?

The draft Long Term Plan sets out what we propose to do – and how we propose to fund it – for the next 10 years.  It also acts as the Annual Plan for the coming year and sets the coming year’s rates. 

The plan holds many of the council’s financial and non-financial policies and this year has a financial strategy outlining our financial position and how that will change over the 10-year period.

Q. What’s in the Draft Long Term Plan?

Specific proposals include:

• Proposals to change how we use our funding sources
  • Continuing the redirection of investment income from being used to fund operations to fund economic development projects
  • Changing the transition for above from five years to 10 years
  • Proposed criteria for the new Investment and Growth Reserve
• Proposals to change activities
  • Small changes to Monitoring (chemical collection service to end, lower response to Environmental Hotline, reduced bathing site monitoring from 85 sites to 55)
  • Small increase in funding for Biosecurity ($100,000 to accelerate programmes)
  • Small increase in funding to implement the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management ($110,000 above current levels)
  • Small increase in funding for priority river monitoring ($71K)
  • Small increase in funding to Land and Biodiversity ($63K for additional resources for soil conservation and erosion control initiatives)
• River management capital projects
  • Stage 2 for Whāngārei urban rivers $7M Year 2
  • Stage 2 for Kaeo – Whangaroa $606K Year 4
  • Stage 1 for Kerikeri-Waipapa Rivers Year 2 (and new targeted rate)
  • Awanui – $100k Year 1 and $3.9M Year 3
• Proposed bus services for Dargaville and Kaitaia
• Changing the role of our council-controlled organisation – NRCCT – to a fund manager
• Establishing a new council-controlled organisation for economic development
• Reducing the funding for Destination Northland over a period to be negotiated
• Programme for implementing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management
• New Significance Policy
• Continuing the rescue helicopter rate
• Joining the Local Government Funding Agency
• Possible sale of long term leasehold property

Q. Why do we have Annual Plans when Long Term Plans cover 10 years?

Long Term Plans looks ahead 10 years so that councils can manage their financial and non-financial resources better. 

Because the environment we live in is constantly changing, there are external impacts that need to be taken into account on an annual basis (like inflation and interest rates) to accurately set rates for the future year. 

Annual Plans also enable us to be responsive to new ideas so new proposals can emerge between the three-yearly reviews of the Long Term Plan.

Q. What are the proposed rate increases?

Under the proposed plan, general rates for the coming year would increase by 6.8% on average.

The total combined rates from the council services rate and land management rate increases 7.7% (a mix of inflation costs, more services being delivered, larger surplus budgeted – described below); the average effect on rates is 6.8% because of the increase in rating units which spreads the rates across more properties.

Rates are forecast to increase between 6-8% for the remaining nine years.  The redirection of the investment income is the biggest driver for the increases with inflation also being a factor.  We are using some reserves for one-off and targeted expenditure like the elections and non-payment of rates to keep the rate increases to manageable levels.

On average rates will increase between $11-15 per year (for properties with land value around $250,000).  For a property with land value of $2million that means an increase of about $90 per year.

Q. What is the biggest driver for the rates increase?

The rates increase for the coming year is wholly driven by an increase in costs, the effect of inflation and a modest budgeted surplus; there is no additional impact from redirecting the investment income. 

For the following nine years the increase in rates is due to a mix of inflation and reducing the rates subsidy (by redirecting the investment income to the investment reserve for economic development projects).