Latest news with #Holborow
Scoop
5 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Council Backs Push For Better Access To Local Health Services
Kāpiti Coast District Council has formally endorsed the work of the Kāpiti Health Advisory Group's (KHAG) for its efforts to secure better access to health services for the local community. Mayor Janet Holborow acknowledged that while Council is not directly responsible for delivering health services, it plays a key role in advocating for improved health outcomes. 'Through our Vision Kāpiti conversations last year, our community made it clear that better access to health services is a top priority,' said Mayor Holborow. 'Kāpiti is a growing district with a large population of over 65s and an increasing number of young families. We must ensure the health needs of our residents are not overlooked by central government. 'We're currently developing a draft Health Strategy and greatly value the tireless advocacy of the Kāpiti Health Advisory Group in pushing for solutions that meet the needs of our people.' Mayor Holborow said a proposed Polyclinic for the district could be a 'game changer.' 'If funding can be secured, a Polyclinic would provide essential services locally, easing pressure on other regional facilities and ensuring our residents can access care close to home.' While the Council is not in a position to allocate ratepayer funding to the project, it will continue to support efforts to improve local health infrastructure. 'We will be writing to Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, local MPs, and the Minister of Health, seeking a clear commitment to progressively expand services at the Kāpiti Health Centre,' said Mayor Holborow. 'This is one of several initiatives Council is working on, and we acknowledge the particular need for access to health services in Ōtaki. 'Council will also continue to work alongside KHAG and our Social Sustainability Committee to champion better health outcomes for our community.
Scoop
5 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Building A Resilient Future For Kāpiti: Annual Plan Adopted And Rates Set For 2025/26 Year
Press Release – Kapiti Coast District Council Work included in the Annual Plan includes important capital projects to upgrade the Paraparaumu wastewater treatment plant and the Waikanae water treatment plant, and building Te Ara Whet, the new library and community hub in Waikanae. Kāpiti Coast District Council has adopted its annual plan and set rates for the coming year, with a focus on sticking to the long-term objective of building a resilient future for the Kāpiti Coast. The Annual Plan 2025/26 is an update to year two of the Long-term Plan 2024/34 (LTP), which outlines the projects and services to be delivered over 10 years. It was adopted by Council at its meeting on 29 May. Work included in the Annual Plan includes important capital projects to upgrade the Paraparaumu wastewater treatment plant and the Waikanae water treatment plant, and building Te Ara Whetū, the new library and community hub in Waikanae. Council is also progressing its financial strategy to reduce debt by a total of $153 million by 2034, building capacity to respond to natural disasters and maximise growth opportunities. To do the mahi (work) outlined in the plan and reduce Council's debt levels, rates revenue will rise by 6.9 percent after growth for the year – within the 7 percent limit set in the LTP. Kāpiti Coast District Mayor Janet Holborow says the Annual Plan sets Kāpiti up for future challenges. 'We've stuck to what we agreed with the community last year, with some minor amendments made to accommodate rising costs,' Mayor Holborow says. 'Everything we're doing is about making sure Kāpiti is well-placed for whatever the future brings, because based on our recent experience and the predictions we can draw from we know there will be unexpected challenges ahead. 'This is why we're continuing to invest in our core water infrastructure, which is among the best in New Zealand, and our other essential services. 'It's why we're reducing our debt, so that we can respond to potential natural disasters and growth opportunities strongly. 'We're also balancing this future focus with the current pressures we all face – no one wants to see high rates rises. 'We have worked hard to find significant operational savings, so we can keep rates as affordable as we can.' Mayor Holborow says the bulk of Council's rates-funded operational spending for the year ($114m) will be on core services like water management, roading and transport, and pools, parks and playgrounds. 'We'll be spending $34.1m of ratepayer money on our wastewater, storm water and drinking water services, $17m on our transport network, and $10.1m on our parks and open spaces. 'These and our other services all play important parts in making Kāpiti such a great place to live and do business in, and it's important we make sure we continue to invest in what we've got.' The final 2025/26 Annual Plan will be available to read at in the coming days. Fees and charges adopted At the same meeting Council also adopted the fees and charges used to cover some of the costs of facilities and services for the 2025/26 year. Most fees and charges increases have been held at the 3.2 percent inflation factor used by local government. There are some exceptions where fees and charges have risen. These include: Building Consent Fees: Fees for code compliance certificates and some LIMs will go up. Online consent application fees will also increase due to changes by our online system vendor. Domestic Food Business Levy: A new levy set by MPI will be introduced. The Council will charge a small fee to cover the cost of collecting this revenue for the Government. Hall Hire Fees: These will increase by 10% to cover higher costs. Learn to Swim Programme: Minor changes include more convenient payment options, flexibility for school participation, and a small regular charge for students to access the pool outside of lessons. Access and Transport: Corridor access request fees for project works will increase beyond inflation to cover higher costs. Wastewater Fees: Septage disposal and trade waste discharge fees will rise beyond inflation. A new fee for wastewater connection inspections will be introduced. Potable Water Fees: Adjustments will be made to fees for water meter special readings, filling point access cards, and water volume charges at Council filling points. Waikanae Pop-up Fees: New fees will be established to help cover the costs of the Waikanae Pop-up for start-up businesses in the short term. The full register of proposed fees and charges can be found at
Scoop
5 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Building A Resilient Future For Kāpiti: Annual Plan Adopted And Rates Set For 2025/26 Year
Kāpiti Coast District Council has adopted its annual plan and set rates for the coming year, with a focus on sticking to the long-term objective of building a resilient future for the Kāpiti Coast. The Annual Plan 2025/26 is an update to year two of the Long-term Plan 2024/34 (LTP), which outlines the projects and services to be delivered over 10 years. It was adopted by Council at its meeting on 29 May. Work included in the Annual Plan includes important capital projects to upgrade the Paraparaumu wastewater treatment plant and the Waikanae water treatment plant, and building Te Ara Whetū, the new library and community hub in Waikanae. Council is also progressing its financial strategy to reduce debt by a total of $153 million by 2034, building capacity to respond to natural disasters and maximise growth opportunities. To do the mahi (work) outlined in the plan and reduce Council's debt levels, rates revenue will rise by 6.9 percent after growth for the year – within the 7 percent limit set in the LTP. Kāpiti Coast District Mayor Janet Holborow says the Annual Plan sets Kāpiti up for future challenges. 'We've stuck to what we agreed with the community last year, with some minor amendments made to accommodate rising costs,' Mayor Holborow says. 'Everything we're doing is about making sure Kāpiti is well-placed for whatever the future brings, because based on our recent experience and the predictions we can draw from we know there will be unexpected challenges ahead. 'This is why we're continuing to invest in our core water infrastructure, which is among the best in New Zealand, and our other essential services. 'It's why we're reducing our debt, so that we can respond to potential natural disasters and growth opportunities strongly. 'We're also balancing this future focus with the current pressures we all face – no one wants to see high rates rises. 'We have worked hard to find significant operational savings, so we can keep rates as affordable as we can.' Mayor Holborow says the bulk of Council's rates-funded operational spending for the year ($114m) will be on core services like water management, roading and transport, and pools, parks and playgrounds. 'We'll be spending $34.1m of ratepayer money on our wastewater, storm water and drinking water services, $17m on our transport network, and $10.1m on our parks and open spaces. 'These and our other services all play important parts in making Kāpiti such a great place to live and do business in, and it's important we make sure we continue to invest in what we've got.' The final 2025/26 Annual Plan will be available to read at in the coming days. Fees and charges adopted At the same meeting Council also adopted the fees and charges used to cover some of the costs of facilities and services for the 2025/26 year. Most fees and charges increases have been held at the 3.2 percent inflation factor used by local government. There are some exceptions where fees and charges have risen. These include: Building Consent Fees: Fees for code compliance certificates and some LIMs will go up. Online consent application fees will also increase due to changes by our online system vendor. Domestic Food Business Levy: A new levy set by MPI will be introduced. The Council will charge a small fee to cover the cost of collecting this revenue for the Government. Hall Hire Fees: These will increase by 10% to cover higher costs. Learn to Swim Programme: Minor changes include more convenient payment options, flexibility for school participation, and a small regular charge for students to access the pool outside of lessons. Access and Transport: Corridor access request fees for project works will increase beyond inflation to cover higher costs. Wastewater Fees: Septage disposal and trade waste discharge fees will rise beyond inflation. A new fee for wastewater connection inspections will be introduced. Potable Water Fees: Adjustments will be made to fees for water meter special readings, filling point access cards, and water volume charges at Council filling points. Waikanae Pop-up Fees: New fees will be established to help cover the costs of the Waikanae Pop-up for start-up businesses in the short term. The full register of proposed fees and charges can be found at
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Kāpiti Coast Water Services To Stay With District Council
Kāpiti Coast residents will continue to have their water services delivered by the District Council, in keeping with the strong community support for this model shared during the Council's recent consultation. Mayor Janet Holborow said Council felt the benefits of teaming up with other councils to deliver drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services did not stack up for Kāpiti ratepayers and residents at this time. 'Kāpiti has a great track record of strategic investment and excellent management of our water delivery services. This was endorsed by our consultation which showed 94 percent of submitters want us to keep their water services delivery with the council. 'Right now, we don't see any benefits to our community of joining up with other councils who are still facing the need to spend on big-ticket items like water meters and major wastewater treatment plant upgrades,' Mayor Holborow said. Under the Government's Local Water Done Well policy the Council was required to consult on two options: a joint council-owned arrangement with Manawatū, Horowhenua, and Palmerston North councils ('The Four') that would be independently governed, or the current in-house model but with water services delivery ring-fenced from the rest of council operations ('The One'). Manawatū District Council recently voted to continue to deliver their own water services in-house, pulling out of 'The Four'. This reduced the potential financial benefits for Kāpiti joining with Horowhenua and Palmerston North, Mayor Holborow said. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading 'We've looked at financial modelling which shows costs to consumers in the joint four-council model could even out in about 20 years, but that's by no means guaranteed. With Manawatū no longer in the mix, it further reduces the opportunities for economies of scale in the joint model,' she said. 'We also think there's still too much uncertainty about the additional set-up costs or the ability of our council to influence the governance and pricing in a joint model,' Mayor Holborow said. 'It's important to note that today's decision does not preclude us from exploring other water service delivery models in the future but for now we remain focussed on ensuring local priorities are upheld and we meet the Government's requirement to provide a Water Services Delivery Plan to the Department of Internal Affairs by 3 September this year.' Council made its decision at a special meeting today. Mayor Holborow acknowledged the collaboration between the four councils and thanked the community for engaging in the consultation.
Scoop
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Duo Looks To Continue
12 May 2025 Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow says she welcomes the news that Deputy Mayor Lawrence Kirby has announced that he's seeking a second term on the Council. 'I've so valued Lawrence's contribution over the past three years, and I look forward to working with him in the roles of Mayor and Deputy Mayor again,' says Holborow. 'Having been Deputy Mayor for two terms I know what a challenging position it is, and Lawrence has fulfilled the role exceptionally well. 'We have worked together to engage our community with more public meetings and personal conversations around the difficult challenges that growth brings across our District. The Otaki Reservoir and Otaihanga developments are two clear examples of us doing that,' Holborow says. 'We are committed together to ongoing improvement of how Council engages with our communities around the complex and difficult issues we face. 'We don't always agree, but that's good, as it's always valuable to understand the other side of an issue, and it's important that people bring their principles and perspectives. In developing the LTP 2024-34, we disagreed on the first-year rates figure but once a decision was made by Council, we worked together for the best outcomes for our community and are committed to holding to the plan moving forward. 'With his exceptional understanding and empathy, Lawrence has been a crucial part of making our Council a positive and effective team,' says Holborow. Holborow has announced she is seeking a second term as Mayor.
