More than 4000 people have had their say on which services Ruapehu District Council should continue providing.
Community and recreational facilities - including reserves, halls, public toilets, swimming pools and trails - emerged as the area people cared about most in 4055 individual survey responses across 11 service areas.
The survey is part of a council review that aims to identify where services could be maintained, changed, reduced or stopped to help keep rates affordable, and comes ahead of the Government’s plan to cap rates.
Mayor Weston Kirton said financial pressures meant the council could not continue to provide every service at its current level indefinitely.
“With rising costs, the loss of water services income and significant local government reforms, we will not be able to continue providing every service at its current level within a future rates cap.”
Rubbish and recycling received the second-highest response behind community and recreational facilities, followed by libraries, communications and roading.
Other areas covered were environmental sustainability, tourism and visitor services, community and business development, economic development, youth development, and policy and strategy.
Kirton said the response was a strong result and thanked residents for taking part.
“This is the first time council has reviewed every service we provide in this level of detail,” he said.
The review asked residents not only what services they valued, but whether council should be involved in providing them at all and, if so, at what level.
Rates were already too high for many residents, while water costs under the new water entity with Whanganui were expected to rise significantly in coming years, he said.
The council is now costing different service-level options based on the feedback and trade-offs people said they would consider.
Those options will go back to the community in October, ahead of decisions on the services to be included in the council’s 2027-2037 Long-Term Plan.
“Our goal is to strike the right balance between keeping rates affordable and providing services that our communities genuinely value,” Kirton said.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
