Council sets rates, adopts Annual Plan and Fees and Charges Schedule

Today the Council set the rates and adopted the Annual Plan for the 2026-27 financial year.

The average rates increase is 3.25%. This is less than the forecasted increase of 12.6% in the Long-term Plan 2024-34.

The reduction in the rates increase was achieved through careful prioritisation of work programmes, timing decisions, efficiency improvements and the use of reserves.

Environment Southland Chair Jeremy McPhail said Councillors had affordability front of mind in setting the rates, but it wasn’t a reduction in levels of service.

“We are still doing the things the community needs such as flood management and investing in work like the nitrates investigation in Gore.”

The actual amounts will vary from property to property due to variations in valuations. On average an Invercargill property valued at $650,000 will pay $569 for the year, which is $22 more than last year. There are further examples of indicative figures for properties in other locations in the Annual Plan 2026-27.

The purpose of the Annual Plan is to identify any changes to the coming year’s budgets or work programmes from those forecasted in the Long-term Plan. As there were no material changes, the Council decided not to consult on the Annual Plan.

The Council also adopted the Fees and Charges Schedule 2026-27, which was publicly consulted on during April and May. The Schedule has been developed with a commitment to ensuring individuals pay for the services they use and incorporates a 2.5% inflation adjustment. All fees are set on a cost recovery basis. The Fees and Charges Schedule 2026-27 comes into effect from 1 July 2026.