Long Term Plan 2024-2034

The Long Term Plan 2024-2034 was adopted by Councillors on 19 September 2024.

This page contains information about the consultation process, which occurred during July 2024.

Quick links:

Setting the scene | How to get informed | Proposed capital investment | What happens after submissions close?

Setting the scene

Every three years we develop a Long Term Plan (LTP) for the district. It sets out Council’s workplan for the next 10 years (with more detail for the first three), how we propose to pay for it and what it means for the rates you pay.

As we look ahead to the next ten years, affordability is top of mind for everyone. Inflation, high interest rates uncertainty and government compliance costs are not only being felt by the whole local government sector but also worldwide.

Everything we do is costing more to deliver making this one of the most difficult budgets to prepare for the district. In short, it simply will not be possible to deliver many of the things the community or this Council want to within the existing significant financial constraints.

The coalition Government decision to repeal Three Waters legislation was followed closely by a directive to councils to include planning and funding for three waters service delivery across the full ten years of their LTPs. this has had a significant impact on budgets compared to the previous requirement to include planning and funding for three waters service delivery for years one and two only.

The consequence of this change in direction is huge for our district and we’ve spent the last six months working closely with staff to reintegrate this significant cost back into the budgets. We’ve scrutinised projects, services, programmes, and general operating costs to see where cuts can be made and have had some really challenging conversations around priorities and what this means for rates increases.

We did this by focusing on making sure we get the basics right first, which means prioritising a solid foundation of infrastructure, community facilities, and consistent levels of service. This is particularly relevant for the first two years of the LTP, which largely focuses on core compliance activities.

The draft LTP proposes an average rates increase of 15.6% for 2024-2025, which is historically high but unavoidable due to the reasons we've outlined here and within the consultation document. Such a high increase is not something that is proposed lightly and Council is very aware of the extra pressure it places on ratepayers.

That’s why it’s so important for our community to get involved and to support the Councillor's decision making process.

Get informed

This web page provides links and resources to help you make an informed submission.

Submissions can be made on any aspect of the draft LTP. Highlighted consultation topics include bringing forward investment in community facilities such as new sports fields for Wānaka, clean energy upgrades for the district’s swimming pools, new sports fields and facilities at 516 Ladies Mile, along with a proposed targeted Rate to recover costs of Queenstown Town Centre upgrade projects.

Use the Document Library section on the right hand side of this page to download the consultation document and full Draft LTP document.

We've also split out some of they key documents that underpin the development of the LTP, including the 30 year Infrastructure Strategy (what social and physical infrastructure we need over a 30 year period) and the Financial Strategy (how we pay for what we do on behalf of the district), and much more.

The consultation document will be distributed right across the district and posted or emailed out of town ratepayers. You can also pick up a hard copy at any Council office, library or rec centre district-wide.

The full LTP document is over 400 pages, so hard copies will only be provided on request.

Proposed capital investment

After the change in Government and confirmation of a change in direction for water reform, we revised our capital programme to include three waters investment for the full ten years of the LTP. To accommodate the three waters expenditure, non-three waters strategic priority projects have had to be deferred both within and outside of the ten years of the LTP.

Overall the proposed capital programme is valued at approximately $2.4B and there’s still plenty planned for our communities right across the district.

We’ve provided an online dashboard mapping where capital investment is proposed. Wherever you live in the district, you can filter to see what’s planned for your area.

If you're having trouble - check out the user guides and how-to videos on the right hand side of the page.

The below dashboard is best used on a desktop device. If you're using a mobile device such as a tablet, please click here for the mobile friendly version

What happens after submissions close?

All submissions will be collated and provided to Councillors as part of their decision making process. Following the submission hearings in August, Councillors will deliberate then make decisions about what changes are made to the plan.

A final plan was adopted by the full Council on 19 September 2024.