Taupō District Council
Community Organisation
Community Organisation
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Have you had your say on our Long-term Plan yet? Submissions close this Friday and we want to hear from you!
📣Have we got the balance right?
Should we focus most of our effort and money on essential services?
🚘 Safe roads
💧 Resilient water infrastructure
💡 Keeping the lights on
… View moreHave you had your say on our Long-term Plan yet? Submissions close this Friday and we want to hear from you!
📣Have we got the balance right?
Should we focus most of our effort and money on essential services?
🚘 Safe roads
💧 Resilient water infrastructure
💡 Keeping the lights on
👉🏼 Find out more and let us know what you think here
📣Bag it or Bin it
Have your say on the future of kerbside rubbish and recycling!
Last year we asked what you thought of bags vs bins and heard from heeeeeaaaaaaaps of you.
So we’ve done some more mahi, worked out the details and crunched the numbers. Now we’re back asking the big question. Bag It or Bin It?
Check out the video here.
👉🏼 Find out more and have your say here.
📣Should we help ease the housing crisis in the Taupō District?
We own a parcel of land south of Richmond Heights in Taupō. We have the opportunity to sell some of this to a development partner who would build high-quality, attractive homes on it.
🏡 Some of these homes (around 42) would be targeted at first home buyers who can afford to pay a mortgage. The remainder would be sold on the open market.
👉🏼 Find out more and have your say here
📣How should we deal with wastewater?
Wastewater is the dirty water that's left behind after taking a shower, doing a load of washing or flushing the loo.
💧 In Taupō, there's been more houses being built on the northern side of the Waikato River. This means the pipe that takes wastewater across to the Taupō Wastewater Treatment Plant is almost at capacity.
💧 In Tūrangi, the wastewater is treated to a very high standard and disposed of into a wetland. This is a very common process in other parts of New Zealand but the community has raised concerns and asked us to try to find a land-based option.
👉🏼 We've come up with some different solutions. Check them out here.
📣Increasing fees and charges to manage rates
One way to try and keep rates under control is to increase our fees and charges on different services that people choose to use. We’re thinking of a 20-25 percent increase across the board.
📌 Adult AC Baths entry from $10 to $12
📌 Swim lessons from $12 to $15
📌 Rubbish bag stickers from $2 to $2.50
📌 Broadlands Road Landfill minimum charge from $21 to $26
📌 Building consent from $100 to $125
All of these services, like swimming pools and landfills, are topped up by rates. By putting up our fees and charges, it means that people who use the services contribute more towards the cost of providing them.
This helps reduce that cost burden falling on the wider community through rates (including the people who don’t use these facilities or services at all).
👉🏼 Find out more and have your say here.
📣Let’s talk about Control Gates Bridge
We’ve heard from many of you that you’re not enjoying sitting in traffic waiting to cross the Waikato River at certain times of the day.
🚗 Planning for a solution to ease congestion was meant to happen in 2031-33 but traffic volumes are increasing faster than we predicted. The plan is to spend the next three years working with Mercury, iwi, and hapū to begin working on options.
🌉 We’ll come back to you with some detailed designs and costs in 2027, with a view to starting construction in 2029. A rough initial estimated cost is $73.5 million. What do you think?
👉🏼 Find out more and have your say here.
📣Plan for Tūrangi town centre
We know the Tūrangi community are really keen to see their town centre tidied up and given a new lease on life, and there is also a lot of excitement about a community recreation centre in Tūrangi.
🏗️ During our last Long-term Plan in 2021, we started working with Ngāti Tūrangitukua to create a community recreation centre for Tūrangi. This centre is still in our draft Long-term Plan, but it has been delayed until 2028.
That’s because, although we allocated $15.9 million for the centre in our 2021-31 Long-term Plan, construction costs have risen significantly and there’s also uncertainty around where a centre should go, who would run it, and how it would be used. It is going to be expensive to build and operate and we aren’t confident the Tūrangi community can afford a centre of this size right now.
🎣 At the same time, the community has been asking for action on the Tūrangi town centre, and there are some links between getting this sorted and investing in a recreation centre.
So, what we’re proposing is that we do some town centre structure planning to get that functioning better, which will help us figure out what recreation facilities are needed and where best to place them.
In this plan, we’ve allocated around $150,000 to our town centre planning in 2025 and $17.5 million for the recreation centre project in the years 2028-2030. What do you think?
👉🏼 Find out more and have your say here.
📣Transport funding changes
We usually get help funding our transport projects like road widening from Waka Kotahi (New Zealand Transport Agency).
🚗 We’d like to improve some intersections in the next 10 years like AC Baths Avenue, Napier Road/Crown Road intersection and Taharepa Road/Crown Road intersection near Tauhara Primary School. We’d also like to do some major upgrades on Broadlands Road, Poihipi Road and Whangamata Road.
If we get less money, what should we do? Increase our budget to make up the shortfall so we can deliver the full list of projects? Or change the projects up to meet our smaller budget?
👉🏼 Find out more and have your say here.
📣Rates increase
Rachel lives in Taupō central, is passionate about living sustainably, yoga, her super cute cats and chooks, and the community. She is also one of our awesome councillors.
🏡 Rachel's looking at $4,079.97 in rates next year. That's an extra $450 from last year. Most ($415) of this increase is going towards targeted rates that pay for keeping our water and wastewater infrastructure up to scratch.
👉🏼 What's your number? Find out here.
📣Have we missed something?
We love how passionate our community is in the Taupō rohe. If there’s something that we’ve missed out that you think should be included in this plan, we really want to hear from you.
🙋🏼 Skip to question 11 of our submission survey and give your feedback or send an email to 10yearplan@taupo.govt.nz.
👉🏼 Find out more about making a submission here.
Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas has appointed Taupō ward councillor Kevin Taylor as deputy mayor.
The appointment of Mr Taylor to the role is subject to confirmation at the first meeting of the new council, which will be held on Thursday 27 October.
Local body elections were held on … View moreTaupō District Mayor David Trewavas has appointed Taupō ward councillor Kevin Taylor as deputy mayor.
The appointment of Mr Taylor to the role is subject to confirmation at the first meeting of the new council, which will be held on Thursday 27 October.
Local body elections were held on Saturday 8 October, returning Mr Trewavas as mayor, along with seven sitting councillors and five new ones. The recommendation of deputy mayor is one which is traditionally made by the mayor.
Mr Trewavas said Mr Taylor, a second-term councillor and former high-ranking police officer, would be well suited to the role.
“Kevin’s attributes and skills, along with the support he has provided to Council in the last three years will stand him in good stead. I look forward to working with him going forward.”
Mr Taylor says he’s ready to take on the role of deputy mayor and do his best for the Taupō District.
“It’s not a role I was angling for, but I’m honoured to be considered and more than happy to fulfil it; and like I’ve done with other roles, I’ll give it all of my energy and attention.”
Mr Trewavas acknowledged the contribution and commitment of former deputy mayor Christine Rankin. He said he looked forward to working with the new and returning councillors and to a successful three years working together for the betterment of the Taupō District.
With all votes counted, the 2022 Taupō District Council election results have been finalised.
There are no changes to the make-up of the council from the progress results published on Saturday 8 October. Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas returns for a fourth term with a final count of 6601 … View moreWith all votes counted, the 2022 Taupō District Council election results have been finalised.
There are no changes to the make-up of the council from the progress results published on Saturday 8 October. Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas returns for a fourth term with a final count of 6601 votes.
The other two mayoral candidates, Christine Rankin and Sean Wakelin, finished on 4762 and 1205 votes respectively. Christine Rankin was re-elected as a councillor.
Mr Trewavas says he is looking forward to coming together as a team with the councillors.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to represent this wonderful district for another term,” he says.
“We have a great mix of experienced councillors and new faces. They come from all walks of life which helps ensure a balance of stability and fresh ideas.
“Just like in previous years, we won’t always agree on everything, but robust, respectful and constructive discussion is all part of the process.”
Mr Trewavas says he is looking forward to seeing the completion of several projects, including the Taupō Town Centre Transformation, the new Taupō Airport terminal and the Waiora House rebuild.
The seven successful candidates for the Taupō ward are Christine Rankin, Yvonne Westerman, Kevin Taylor, Anna Park, John Williamson, Rachel Shepherd and Duncan Campbell.
In the new Te Papamārearea Māori ward, Karam Fletcher and Danny Aperahama Loughlin are the successful candidates.
Kylie Leonard for the Taupō East Rural ward and Kirsty Trueman for the Mangakino-Pouakani ward were both re-elected unopposed.
The successful candidate for the Tūrangi-Tongariro ward is Sandra Greenslade.
New councillor Karam Fletcher is one of the first councillors elected to represent Te Papamārearea Māori ward.
“I’m incredibly humbled and I’m also mindful that this is my first time standing,” Mr Fletcher says. “To get in on the first go obviously means there is a wealth of support behind me and that definitely doesn’t go unnoticed. I’m excited about the prospect of working with the other successful candidates over the next three years.
“I’ve always said it’s important to have Māori representation at the decision-making table and the Māori ward is a step in allowing that to happen. I do believe as a council we are already moving forward with the likes of the co-governance agreement with Ngāti Tūrangitukua. Ultimately, it’s what is best for our community, ensuring everyone is represented.”
On receiving the news he had been elected, he says he had “prepared for the worst but hoped for the best”.
“I was really, really happy. My wife was ecstatic and we had a few friends and whānau around to celebrate what, for me, is an amazing achievement and I’m mindful that I wouldn’t be here without all of their support.”
Another new face at the council table is Rachel Shepherd who says she felt a mixture of emotions when she found out she had been elected.
“I was really excited but also a bit nervous as well because I take the position really seriously, the responsibility of it. It was nervous excitement.
“There are a lot of projects going on and where I fit in will be somewhat dependent on what I learn as I go through the induction process. My focus has always been around supporting local business, I’m a commercial property manager, but I’m also really heavily involved in our local volunteer groups and community organisations, so that’s where my focus will be.”
The elected members come into office tomorrow, Saturday 15 October, but cannot act until they make their formal declarations at the inaugural council meeting to be held on Thursday 27 October.
View the full election results at www.taupo.govt.nz....
New parking charges will come into effect when Taupō Airport’s new terminal opens; and reflect the growth of the airport and its surrounding business precinct.
The new charges will help to maintain the newly-constructed airport carpark and terminal, which is currently underway with a budget … View moreNew parking charges will come into effect when Taupō Airport’s new terminal opens; and reflect the growth of the airport and its surrounding business precinct.
The new charges will help to maintain the newly-constructed airport carpark and terminal, which is currently underway with a budget of $9.237 million. Of that, $3.367 million was allocated in Council’s Long Term Plan, along with a $5 million grant from the Crown’s Provincial Development Unit, and $870,000 from the Ministry of Transport. Work is scheduled for completion in December.
The development includes a new sealed carpark with more parking spaces and lighting to replace the old carpark which was unlit and grassed.
Taupō District Council deputy chief executive Julie Gardyne says the carpark charges reflect the council’s user-pays philosophy and will help reduce the financial impact on ratepayers.
“The new carpark is a huge improvement over the previous one, being much safer for winter use when flights are arriving in darkness, and a lot easier to navigate in the wet,” Ms Gardyne said.
“The intended charge structure, which is subject to Ministry of Transport approval, will see the first 30 minutes free, so people can do drop offs and picks up. Then fees of $2 per hour will apply up to a maximum of $14 for 24 hours. The best part is, the system is fully automated, with cameras registering vehicle registration numbers, and then users can pay at the barrier or at terminals in the carpark. We’ll also be looking at long-term concession rates if there is demand.”
Ms Gardyne said Taupō Airport was one of the few regional airports to still have unpaid parking.
“Its level of operations have increased considerably over the years, so we need to make sure that it is properly funded by those that use it most. The contributions from the parking will be invested back into running the airport and its infrastructure. Our airport is transitioning from a medium-sized regional airport to an important transport hub and business precinct that plays an important economic role for our entire district, and the charges we have settled on are very competitive, being lower than all other airports of comparable size. For example, Napier Airport charges $5 per hour and it is $4 per hour at Rotorua Airport.”
Taupō Airport Authority (TAA) chairman Chris Johnston said the new airport terminal was going to be a huge asset to the whole district as it welcomed visitors as well as offering a better travel experience for locals.
“The TAA has been working towards this day for nearly 10 years,” Mr Johnston said. “The new terminal looks very impressive and is going to be a world class facility, designed and built by Taupō locals.
“It is really exciting to see it now coming of age and opening up even more potential. Our passenger numbers have returned to 90 percent of their pre-Covid levels, which is fantastic. It’s important to remember that it takes a huge amount of work to keep an airport of this size functioning. Everything from staffing to wildlife control, runway maintenance and maintaining safety levels - and yes, car parks - has to be a part of a business model and the new parking charges are part of this.”
Nominations have closed for the 2022 local government elections to be held on Saturday, 8 October.
There are three candidates for the Taupō District mayoralty this year – Christine Rankin, David Trewavas and Sean Wakelin.
There are 19 candidates standing for the seven seats in the Taupō … View moreNominations have closed for the 2022 local government elections to be held on Saturday, 8 October.
There are three candidates for the Taupō District mayoralty this year – Christine Rankin, David Trewavas and Sean Wakelin.
There are 19 candidates standing for the seven seats in the Taupō ward, and four candidates for the single Tūrangi -Tongariro ward seat.
The new Te Papamārearea Māori ward has four candidates for voters on the Māori electoral roll to choose from, to fill two seats.
Two vacancies are to be filled automatically because the number of nominations received did not exceed the number of positions available.
These are the Mangakino-Pouakani ward vacancy where Kirsty Trueman will be elected unopposed and the Taupō East Rural ward vacancy where Kylie Leonard will also be elected unopposed.
Deputy electoral officer Shainey James says she is heartened by the number of candidates who have put their names forward this year.
“It’s encouraging to see how many people are invested in our district and want to contribute to their community by becoming a councillor.
“We are in for an exciting campaign period.”
Anyone who is currently enrolled can vote in the local government elections via postal vote. Voting papers will arrive in your mailbox between 16 to 21 September.
For those who have not yet enrolled, a special vote will need to be cast by contacting a Taupō District Council office for voting papers.
Voting papers need to be returned before voting closes at noon on 8 October.
A full list of candidates can be found at taupo.govt.nz/vote22
Key Election Dates:
- Friday 12 August - Nominations closed at 12 noon
- 16 to 21 September - Voting papers delivered
- Saturday 8 October - Election Day – voting closes 12 noon
- 13 to 19 October - Declaration of results
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