Whanganui District Council has received more than 1,300 responses to its recent Choices and Trade-offs survey about council levels of service.
Mayor Andrew Tripe thanked everyone who took part.
“It was a monster of a survey, so getting this number of responses was a great result. Thank you for taking the time to tell us what matters to you.”
The survey asked which services people value and which they would be willing to change to help keep rates down. Most people wanted roads and footpaths, parks, libraries, pools and animal control kept as they are. Many people also suggested ways the council could improve services and save money.
Elected members worked through the results in detail yesterday and gave feedback to council staff to review selected services for savings.
Chief Executive Doug Tate says the council must consider both what it delivers and how it delivers it.
“Like any business or family facing tough times, we need to think carefully about what we do, service by service. Our job is to meet community needs while making the best use of every dollar.”
Staff will report back to council's Operations and Performance committee meeting on Thursday, 22 October. Councillors will then consider service levels alongside debt, user fees, other council income, and the cost of maintaining and replacing assets. This will shape the draft budget for the 2027–2037 long-term plan.
Tate says the council will continue to engage with the community throughout the coming months, addressing key matters such as Whanganui’s port revitalisation project and housing."
“Our focus is Facing the Past. Funding our Future,” Mayor Andrew says. "That means learning from past decisions, completing or tidying up legacy projects, and making clear, disciplined choices about what comes next.
"The decisions we make now will shape Whanganui for the next decade. With caps on rates rises proposed from 2029, we must plan wisely, protect what our community values most, and build a sustainable future we can all be proud of."
The community will have its say on the draft plan in early 2027, before the council makes final decisions in June 2027.
ENDS