Queenstown's on the rates podium
It's official. Queenstown Lakes residents are paying the third highest rates in the country.
The Ratepayers Report, published by the New Zealand Taxpayers Union, shows this year's 14.2% average hike puts the district in the top three of the 61 territorial authorities (11 city councils and 50 are district councils).
The average residential rates here are $3,552 per annum, with just Carterton District Council ($3,938) and Manawatu District Council ($3,713) coming in higher. The lowest is Buller District Council at $2,155.
Queenstown Lakes is, however, down at 42nd on the list for the average non-residential rates, with commercial properties paying $3,753 per annum.
That's in stark contrast to places at the top of the table, such as Wellington City Council, where the residential rates average is $2,972 but the non-residential is $32,616, or Kawerau District Council, where they're $2,398 and $31,411 respectively.
Lakes Weekly Bulletin will ask Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) for some context on this, along with some general comments on the report, which was published Friday afternoon, 4 August.
Taxpayers’ Union National Campaigns Manager, Callum Purves, says the report showcases the inner workings of councils all over New Zealand.
"It provides an essential tool for ratepayers to evaluate their local council and hold decision makers accountable."
QLDC serves a population of 48,000 in 20,403 households, across 8,720sqm.
It employs 448 FTE (full-time equivalent) staff and 124 of them are paid over $100k per annum, that's more than a quarter (27.6%). Eleven staff members are paid more than $200k.
Greater Wellington Regional Council and its CCOs employees the highest percentage of staff at salaries over $100,000 (43.67%). The lowest is Wairoa (7.93%).
There are 119 (FTE) managers earning $76,828 on average ($69,540 median). It employs 50 (FTE) infrastructure staffers, 28 regulatory and 12 customer service. It also employs 11 comms and marketing staff, earning $67k on average (74k median).
There were no dismissals at QLDC last year. There were 18 dismissals due to poor performance across all councils, with Christchurch City Council firing eight of them.
QLDC was one of a dozen councils which refused to supply information on how many consultants and contractors it uses, or how much it pays them. Hamilton spent the most on them, $314,971,368 – thee times more than Auckland Council. South Taranaki District Council spent the least, $155,184.
QLDC did confirm it paid $295k to the Otago Chamber of Commerce*, $69k to Local Government New Zealand and $48k to the New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers.
The net debt is 301% of rates income, coming in at $9,434 per rating unit. It pays $182 in interest per rating unit.
Auckland Council has the highest net debt as a percentage of rates income at 525% with a net debt per rating unit of $17,451. It also has the highest interest per rating unit at $673. Only nine councils (including regional councils) have net debt as a % of rates income at or below zero.
The Wānaka App compared QLDC to other similarly sized councils around the country and residential rates are, on average, 22.8% higher.
QLDC also has 34% more council staff than the average for similar districts, one staff member for every 45 households.
The report is free and available to the public at www.RatepayersReport.nz
* This article previously stated this payment was to 'Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce' but that is not the case. This payment relates to contracts QLDC had with MBIE and Business South (Otago Chamber of Commerce) whose Regional Business Partners team supported delivery of the MBIE's Tourism Communities Fund (grants targeted to tourism operators) in the district.
