Waikato District Council approved a below inflation general rate increase of 2.8% and a resulting average rate increase of 3.79% including targeted rates at a Draft Annual Plan meeting yesterday [8 April].
Individual rate increases will vary for ratepayers according to the capital value of property and the specific services they receive such as rubbish collection.
For properties connected to water services, there is a $31.50 increase for drinking water and a $110.72 for wastewater for the year– a total fixed charge increase of $142.22 for 2026/27. This will be charged on behalf of IAWAI, the CCO with Hamilton City Council, from 1 July and will appear alongside other relevant fixed targeted charges in invoices. These water increases are under half of what was forecast.
“Council is acutely aware of how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting our district, now further compounded by rising fuel prices.
“Communities have clearly asked that we focus on increasing affordability and on delivering excellent services for our communities, while operating under constantly changing local and global influences. Any rates increase will impact households; we know this. Council is working hard to keep this down”, Mayor Aksel said.
Understanding your rates
As a district council, our rates are calculated differently to city councils. That is because not all ratepayers have access to the same services such as rubbish collection, water services, pools or community halls. This variation is reflected in individual rates invoices.
What are average rates?
Average rates are calculated from general rates, fixed targeted rates and Uniform Annual General Charge across all properties across the district. The total average rate increase is 3.79% for 2026/27.
General rates
The general rate will be slightly lower than what was expected and consulted in the Long Term Plan, dropping from 3% to 2.8%. It is acknowledged that 0.2% is a small reduction, but significant cost savings had to be made by Council in order to absorb new cost pressures and the $2.9 million shortfall in waste calculations carried over from the 2025-2034 LTP.
General rates are used to fund council activities that benefit all Waikato district ratepayers such as roading. It is calculated on the capital value of properties per $100,000.
The general rate increase means $6.17 per $100,000 or an increase from $220.40 to $226.57. For a residential property with a median capital value of $600,000, the increase is an added $37.02 per household per year.
A fixed Uniform Annual General Charge is increasing by $16.46 per property per year to $564.96. Combined, for a $600,000 home, ratepayers will pay an increase of $53.48.
What are targeted rates?
Local communities are charged different targeted rates depending on the services they receive. A ratepayer in Huntly will be charged different targeted rates to a ratepayer in Glen Afton.
There are increases to the fixed targeted rate for rubbish and recycling, and stormwater for 2026/27.
Some areas of the district have their own specific rubbish and recycling fixed charges. Raglan and rural pop-up recycling services are an example of this.
The main standard district rubbish and recycling fixed targeted rate will increase by $23 per year per dwelling to $303.03. Pre-paid rubbish bag stickers, wheelie bin tags for Tuakau, are still needed on each bag / bin for standard district rubbish collection. There is no increase to the price of stickers and tags.
The urban stormwater fixed targeted rate per property will increase by $48.04 per year to $364.68.
What’s changed from 2025-2034 LTP?
The only change is the 0.2% reduction to the 3% increase for general rates for 2026/27. Whilst this is a small reduction, significant cost savings had to be made by Council in order to absorb cost pressures and the $2.9 million shortfall in waste calculations.
All increases mentioned in this release were consulted on in the 2025-2034 LTP.
What’s next?
The Annual Plan will be presented to Council in June 2026. It includes forecast financial statements for the relevant year and highlights any variations for the 2025-2034 LTP, such as the reduction in general rates increase as listed above.
The Annual Plan will be adopted by 30 June 2026 together with the rates strike for the upcoming financial year.
ENDS
Editors note: With the impending launch of the new forum based TCC website residents/ratepayers will have their say on such matters. Hopefully within the next 7 days.
