Frequently asked questions
- Water: Managing drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater until they transfer to Tiaki Wai, the new regional water services entity, on 1 July 2026.
- Waste: Providing rubbish and recycling services.
- Transport: Maintaining local roads, footpaths, and street lighting.
- Property and Planning: Issuing building and resource consents, and managing the District Plan, which acts as the “rulebook” for how land in the city can be used.
- Recreation: Operating the city’s libraries, swimming pools, Te Rauparaha Arena, and maintaining parks and sports fields across the city.
- Local Leadership: The Mayor and 10 Councillors set the city’s policy direction and monitor performance.
- Regulation: Administering dog registration, alcohol licensing, and noise control.
- Rates: Collecting property rates to help fund these services, which account for roughly 60% of the Council’s annual expenditure.
- Porirua City Council LTP webpage: https://poriruacity.govt.nz/your-council/city-planning-and-reporting/long-term-plan-2024-34/
- Tiaki Wai website: https://www.tiakiwai.co.nz/
- Tiaki Wai FAQs: https://www.tiakiwai.co.nz/faq
- DIA guidance on water reform: https://www.dia.govt.nz/water-Services-Policy-and-Legislation
What is a Long-term Plan?
The Long-term Plan (LTP) is the capital and operational expenditure the Council intends to undertake over the next ten years, and the impacts on the community.
The LTP describes these impacts in financial and non-financial terms, through financial statements and the resulting changes to rates and debt. The non-financial terms are mainly the performance measures relating to the levels of service.
It’s important to remember that the LTP is only a forecast and the actual results may be different, particularly after year 4, as there is a new LTP developed every three years.
What does Council do?
Porirua City Council is responsible for the essential infrastructure, services, and local regulation that keep the city running. Our work is governed by the Local Government Act 2002, which promotes the social, economic, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of the community.
The Council’s responsibilities are grouped into several key areas:
Infrastructure and Core Services
Community Facilities
Governance and Regulation
Partnership and Advocacy
The Council works closely with Ngāti Toa Rangatira to help ensure their views are reflected in city strategies. It also advocates to central government on issues affecting the city, such as housing and social wellbeing.
What’s the difference between formal consultation and engagement?
Consultation involves receiving public feedback on proposals, and is one form of engagement. The Council regularly consults communities through process such as the Long-term Plan, which determine Council’s strategic direction, as well as how it sets budgets and prioritises projects.
The Council will consult with the community about significant decisions following the principles set out in Section 82 of the Local Government Act 2002. The Council can also decide to consult at any time on a decision, where it considers that appropriate. For most Council decisions, there is no express requirement to consult the public, but we will consider people’s views and preferences.
Engagement is a broader and ongoing process of sharing information with the community and seeking its feedback, with the purpose of involving the community in the process of decision making. This may or may not include a more formal consultation process.
What is Council doing to save money?
In the 2024–34 Long-term Plan, we reviewed opportunities for increased revenue and for savings in how we deliver our services and projects. We reduced costs by around $1million and increased revenue by approximately $750k. This was in addition to the $3 million cost reductions that we made in the 2023/24 financial year. We will continue to keep affordability at the forefront of our planning for the 2027–37 Long-term Plan however cost reductions generally require significant reductions in the levels of service we provide the community.
Why are our rates so high?
Porirua City Council has to provide services and infrastructure for its 63,000 residents, but when compared to other cities with a similar population our size, we have considerably fewer ratepayers footing the bill. Porirua City Council has only 20,572 rateable properties to spread our costs over. A breakdown of the properties is provided below:
| Property type | |
| Residential | 18,764 |
| Rural | 645 |
| Business | 863 |
| Non-rateable | 300 |
| Total | 20,572 |
Therefore the same level of spending is shared among fewer people relative to other councils. Porirua also has fewer sources of income like airports, trusts, ports, property portfolios. Note that in 2025/26 71% of Porirua’s cash revenue comes from rates compared with 47% on average across other councils in New Zealand.
Residents do want us to provide all our services and facilities and we are reluctant to reduce these without clear and strong direction from the community. The latest resident survey demonstrated 74% of residents were either very satisfied or satisfied with the public facilities provided and 63% of residents were either very satisfied or satisfied with Council’s overall services and facilities provided.
Why do our rates increase every year?
The Council sets its budget each year. New activities and the quality or quantity of our services determine how much money the Council needs to collect.
Your property value determines the share of the rates increase that you will pay relative to other property owners in the city.
How many people are currently employed by Council?
As published in the 2024/25 Annual Report, we have a total of 444 employees, or 382 FTEs.
Why don’t you get rid of staff to save costs?
Our staffing levels are what is required to run the city and provide our current levels of service. As of 2024, to deliver a 5% rates reduction would require a reduction in approximately 70 staff. This is equivalent to approximately 17% of the current workforce and would significantly impact city services – it could mean closing entire community facilities like the Te Rauparaha Arena and the Central Library.
Why don’t we just have fewer councillors to save costs?
The number of councillors is determined by the Representation Review. A remuneration pool (one pot of money) for councillors is set by the Remuneration Authority. It doesn’t matter how many councillors we have; the pot of money remains the same. It is the Council’s responsibility to decide how to allocate the money between elected members, with the minimum amount being $59,971 as of 17 October 2025. The Remuneration Authority also directly sets the pay of the Mayor, which is $179,195 currently.
What does having a balanced budget mean?
Having a balanced budget means Council’s spending matches its income and so doesn’t create a deficit that needs to be funded by future generations.
How are properties valued?
The Council contracts Quotable Value to perform property revaluations every three years. Quotable Value determines the value of your property by looking at the selling price of similar properties in the area.
Why did Council amend the 2024–34 Long-term Plan?
Changes in national legislation required all participating councils to remove drinking water, wastewater and stormwater (three waters) from their Long-term Plans.
From 1 July 2026, these services will be delivered by a new regional organisation called Tiaki Wai. The amendment ensures our Long-term Plan accurately reflects what Porirua City Council will be responsible for from that date.
How else can I give feedback throughout the year?
We are happy to receive feedback at any time throughout the year, not just at Long-term Plan time.
Please get in touch if you want to share your ideas, have some positive feedback about our staff, or have something you are not so happy about here.
Members of the public are always welcome to engage with the Council, and your elected representatives. Individuals and groups can raise ideas, requests, or proposals with the Mayor and Councillors at any time. Contact details for the Mayor and Councillors are available on our website, and additionally, members of the public are able to speak at Council meetings. Information on how to do this is available here.
Where can I go for more information?