The seven largest hikes are:
- Wellington Region 20.6%
- West Coast Region 27.0%
- Gore 21.4%
- Central HB 20%
- Napier 20%
- Upper Hutt 19.9%
- Wairoa 19.5%
- Far North 4.5%
- Chathams 6.7%
- Auckland 6.8%
- Ashburton 6.5%
- Waikato Region 6.0%
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
2 comments:
Firstly, it would be interesting to see where the cost savings have been found for the councils on the top list. The savings should have been significant before such substantial rate increases.
Then, add and review two more expenditure columns: Core Council Activity and Other Expenses.
I suspect the latter column could be significantly trimmed, reducing the rate increases.
This sounds like an excellent project for the Tax Payers Association!
How about this 'code of conduct' for councils? 'Any increase in rates must be reflected in a matching percentage reduction of council executive salaries'.
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