Angst over Hurunui valuations
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Some Hurunui property owners fear a rates rise, after the latest valuations saw their property’s value double.
But Hurunui District Council chief financial officer Jason Beck says the increases have been consistent across the district, with a 35% average rise in capital values.
‘‘We don’t collect any extra rates because of valuation increases, so if every property went up by 35% then rates rises would be the same for everybody.’’
By law councils are required to update property values every three years and Quotable Value New Zealand has recently completed the latest rating valuations for the Hurunui district.
Rating valuations are based on market values, Beck said. Urban areas are leading the charge with an average 56% increase, followed by lifestyle blocks at 46%.
‘‘It seems that residential properties have increased across the board and it doesn’t seem to matter where you are. If anything there might be a slightly higher proportion of rates for residential properties compared to rural properties.
‘‘But when you consider there is a lot of fixed charges in the rates bill, I wouldn’t expect there to be much movement.’’
Some ratepayers may even see a decrease in next year’s rates bill, if their property value has increased less than the average increase across the district.
‘‘For most ratepayers these changes are not significant unless their value change is significantly different than the average change,’’ he said.
‘‘A valuation allows us to make sure the rates paid are accurate and shared fairly across the district.’’
Rates rises are driven up by the increasing costs the council faces to provide services such as libraries, parks, emergency management, street cleaning, three waters and roads.
He said capital value does not consider ‘‘emotional factors’’ like sea views, waterfront access and building appeal, which can boost a sale price. Beck urges property owners to keep their property record up to date with the council, including any renovations or improvements.
Property owners who are unhappy with their new valuation have the right to appeal, which can be lodged online on the Quotable Value website, qv.co.nz/services/ - or in writing.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.8% Summer
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35.8% Winter
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
What word sums up 2024, neighbours?
If 2020 was the year of lockdowns, banana bread, and WFH (work from home)....
In one word, how would you define 2024?
We're excited to see what you come up with!
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