Level 1 water restrictions are in effect for residents around Lake Hayes. Keep handheld hosing to a minimum, and only use sprinklers between midnight and 6.00am. Find out more information on restrictions.

Annual Plans

Mahere ā-tau

The Council prepares a Long Term Plan every three years. In each of the two interim years, we prepare an Annual Plan. This determines the specific projects, resourcing and budgets for each year ahead. This is a statutory process defined by the Local Government Act 2002. 

Annual Plan 2025-2026

We'll be taking a more informal approach to engaging with the community on the proposed Annual Plan 2025-2026.

The decision was made by Councillors on 13 February, on the basis there are no significant changes from the Long Term Plan 2024-2034 that Councillors adopted unanimously five months ago after receiving nearly 1,000 submissions.   

What to expect

In late April, we'll publish the draft Annual Plan 2025-2026 and seek general feedback from the community ahead of adopting the plan in June 2025.

As part of this, we'll share some updates on progress since the Long Term Plan 2024-2034 was adopted, some key highlights from the draft Annual Plan and details for how you can provide feedback.   This feedback will be provided to Councillors to consider, but won't be subject to formal hearings and deliberations.   

You can expect to see information published here on the website, in local newspapers and on our social media channels.  

Looking ahead, we'll be running a separate early engagement process from November this year to give people a meaningful opportunity to put forward ideas for new projects or investments, to be considered in time for the Long Term Plan 2027-2037.  We'll provide more information closer to the time. 


User fees and charges

Council provides a range of user pays services throughout the district. These include services like processing building or resource consents, environmental health, access to sport and recreation or community facilities, venue hire, dog registration, and carparking.   

These fees and charges allow Council to pass on some costs to those who use and directly benefit from these services and facilities, reducing the amount of funding that needs to be collected through rates.  

Consultation

Many of our user fees and charges must be reviewed and set ahead of the financial year starting.  And because we’re not formally consulting on the Annual Plan 2025-2026, we’ll run a separate consultation process from 21 March – 30 April.  

Full details will be published on Let's Talk and promoted to the community in the usual ways, including via local newspapers, social media and radio.  


Community funding

While the Annual Plan will not be subject to formal consultation, you can still apply for the following grants through a separate process:

  • Community Fund: Supports not-for-profits, charities and community groups to enhance local wellbeing outcomes. Open 1-30 April.

  • Events Fund: Helps deliver vibrant, inclusive events that benefit our community. Open 1-30 April.

  • Waste Minimisation Community Fund: Supports initiatives that promote sustainable use of resources and waste reduction. Open 14 April-25 May.

Mark your calendars and start preparing your applications!

Any questions?

If you have a question on the Annual Plan process, or any of the info on this page, get in touch with us on the email address below: 

letstalk@qldc.govt.nz