We asked Waitomo District Council candidates about council spending, rates caps, and what the council needs to do about overflowing sewage. This is what they said.
Te Kūiti Urban Ward
Eady Manawaiti,
I have only been in council the last term and as a new group we have been working through some of the challenges inherited and that addressing the rates situation in the Waitomo District is multifaceted. I support our mayor’s and chief executive’s position on rates capping.
Council are in the process of analysing the current overflow issue and looking at the whole infrastructure. I agree with this because it is not a single residential fix, it’s a whole system change that is required and is extremely complicated. My view is investment into this type of infrastructure is needed to align with climate adaptation. Recent extreme weather events in our district have revealed that these issues will not go away. Between our council-controlled water entity and Waitomo District Council, we must work together to correct this.
Ross O’Halloran
My understanding is that spending in the past has led to the debt we have now, as much as I as a rate payer would love to have a rates cap, I know people are struggling in the community, but I am concerned that it will be a short fix and would ultimately cost us in the end.
Something has to be done about sewage, just what I couldn’t say unless I’m in council and get a good look at what’s being done and if there’s a better way to get it sorted.
Dan Tasker
There’s been some much-needed spending to keep investment in core services and infrastructure ticking over. Despite feeling the pinch of inflation through Covid-19, council has prioritised minimal overall rate increase since 2019. I was voted on to council in 2022 and noticed some peripheral spending on certain projects. There’s no doubt these projects had good intentions and added some value, but I didn’t feel those projects should be paid for by ratepayers, so I have advocated for not spending money on these. I am open to capping rates if it is linked to inflation and doesn’t sabotage core service investment.
People have told me heart-breaking stories of sewage wrecking their homes during flooding and it has been hard for me to stomach. It’s not good enough for people to have to live like that and we have made it clear to council staff a solution needs to be found. There are barriers relating to sewage overflow stemming back to when the system was originally designed; it will become very costly to ratepayers to fix the problem in its entirety. Staff are currently investigating cost-effective solutions, while considering the impact some of the water programme leaving the district will have.
Waitomo Rural Ward
Olivia Buckley
Alternative strategies to promote change and align objectives would be preferable. For example, benchmarking figures published this year have provided valuable insights for ratepayers on council performance. This level of transparency will be a powerful tool as it promotes trust and drives commitment to change. A rate cap could be detrimental, as it may restrict councils’ ability to finance essential infrastructure, impacting the functionality of communities.
Broken pipes, high rainfall, and blockages impact the towns’ wastewater system; overflowing sewage is unacceptable. The geographical location of Te Kuiti exacerbates the problem. Further investment in wastewater infrastructure is required; as I understand it, this will become the responsibility of the new regional water entity.
Allan Goddard
Over the last six years Waitomo’s rates have increased by 23.7 per cent compared to an over 24 per cent Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase which shows the current councils focus on spending control and affordability. Rates capping is very complex and may not deliver what people think. For example, a cap on total council rates will not translate into every individual property only increasing by that amount, as different properties receive different services and the values of different properties change, which impacts on the proportion of rates that they pay. Also, there is a risk that a council could just borrow more to keep rates within the cap.
The main cause of these overflows is rainwater entering the sewage system and overloading it. There is no quick fix. Blocking an overflow at one point will only cause it to overflow somewhere else. Short term actions include inspecting house downpipes to ensure they are not connected to the sewer and that gully traps are high enough to prevent rainwater entry. Medium to longer term, investigations into flow rates, pipe sizes and other leakage points can be undertaken to determine the best solutions.
Nichola Painter
Over the past decade, Waitomo District Council has faced high levels of expenditure, particularly on infrastructure, and has managed to reduce its debt levels—but whether this can continue remains uncertain. I support keeping rates affordable and predictable and believe a rates cap policy should be investigated. However, any cap must not prevent the council from funding essential infrastructure or services. The key is finding a balance — maintaining fiscal responsibility and controlling costs, while still investing in the assets and services our communities rely on.
Council’s focus on core infrastructure investments required to meet legislative compliance has worked well – now there is a need for enhanced monitoring systems to identify and mitigate potential issues more proactively.
Gavin Todd
Can’t comment over complete 10 years but in recent times council should not have continued to subsidise camp grounds that were always going to run at a loss.
Grants were also given out to organisations that l don’t agree with. Not really in favour of rates cap as such because it would be hard to keep individual rates to the rate of inflation, some would be over, some under. When setting rates recently we had inflation rate front of mind.
Council is taking this seriously. Checking stormwater getting into waste water.
Some problems with roof water going into gully traps. It’s unacceptable this happens after heavy rain. Damaged pipes also a possibility.
