PUBLIC MEETING – 1ST MARCH 2026

Presentation slides from our meeting can be found below:

Call to action: suggested wording for contacting your councillors

As mentioned at our meeting, if you want things to change, then we need to be a united voice. Below are some suggestions on how you can email your local councillors – it’s important to personalise these emails and only send them to select people (ie. your ward councillor and districtwide councillor, and the Mayor/CEO if you feel so inclined) otherwise they tend to get ignored or treated as spam!

You can find out who your councillors are here, and your Community Board members here , along with their contact details (we highly recommend emailing them directly)

Below are a couple of suggestions to get you started:

Subject:  Rate payer concern: [Annual planning/ rate rises/ wasteful spending]

Dear Councillor/ Council/ Mayor

I am a resident of [town]. I am writing to you about [add specific issue].

I am very concerned because [add brief personal story, example or local context and impact].

As a ratepayer/resident, I believe change is needed.

I ask you to [describe the specific action you’d like, e.g., ask questions to find out what driving the increase, vote against the proposed rate rise, seek change to annual planning budget setting process etc].

[For individual Councillors] I look forward to hearing your position on this matter and what steps you intend to take.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address/Contact Info]


Subject: Lack of consultation

Dear Councillor/ Council/ Mayor

As a ratepayer/resident of [town/ward], I strongly oppose the current annual planning process, as it does not include full consultation with the community. The timeline does not allow consultation before Council votes to approve the Annual Plan and the resulting rate increase. An information campaign alone is not sufficient.

I believe proper consultation is needed because [provide 1–2 clear reasons — e.g., many residents cannot afford the increase / the financial impact is significant / future planning processes will not be able to reverse this / upcoming legislative changes should be considered].

I urge you to vote NO on the motion to approve the Annual Plan and the proposed rate increases.

[For individual Councillors] I look forward to hearing your position on this matter and what steps you intend to take.

Your sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address/Contact Info]

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RATES CAPPING UPDATE

27th August 2025

About a month ago we contacted the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) about the work they were doing for the Government on rates capping.  We expect that KCDC – alongside many other Councils who are members of Local Government NZ – would be campaigning against rates capping, and we wanted the ratepayer’s voice to be heard alongside Council voices.

Some of our team met with members of the DIA team earlier this week.  We provided DIA with the following slide pack, which outlined the situation we see in Kapiti, the reasons why Concerned Ratepayers Kapiti supports the rates cap concept, and key factors to take into account in the design of a rates cap.  There are several options to how a rates cap could be done, and the success and durability of a rates cap depends crucially on how its designed. 

We pointed out to DIA that even though we expect the official KCDC position will be to oppose a rates cap, KCDC is effectively working to a rates cap at the moment.  It’s just that the KCDC rates cap is set at 7% average increases per annum for the foreseeable future!    

We were well received by the DIA team.  The meeting went well over the allotted hour, and DIA asked many questions about the suggestions we made. 

DIA are still developing their options, and a formal public consultation process is likely to be later this year.  We will be doing a submission on their consultation proposals when they come out, but its good to have an discussion with DIA now to help them develop their thinking at an early stage.

You can read our presentation to DIA here…

Public meeting August 2025

Presentation slides from our public meeting held 3rd August 2025 can be found below

Community Funded Peer Review of Kapiti Coast flood hazard management reports – 19 June 2025

Public Meeting Presentation – June 2025

**UPDATED JULY 2025**
Note this presentation was updated on 30 July 2025 in light of new staffing figures provided by KCDC. Updated figures are included in slides 13 & 14

Presentation slides from our public meeting held on Sunday 15th June in Waikanae can be found below.

6.5.25 – CRK address to Council Meeting re Local Water Done Well

KCDC Economic Development Strategy

“Refreshed” Economic Development Strategy – as presented on the “have your say” page of the Council website and during pop-in sessions