Council accused of withholding rates info

Auckland Council knew more than a year ago that rural properties would face steeper than average rates increases, but kept the information to itself until June, according to documents released under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA).

Rodney Local Board member Ivan Wagstaff claimed that withholding this information until after its public budget consultation was “a clear breach of its legal duties under the Local Government Act 2002”.

“The documents obtained via LGOIMA confirm the council administration was fully aware of the severe impact the new property revaluations would have on rural ratepayers months before consultation began,” he said.

“These emails contain very clear advice that there would be a significant redistribution of rates burden onto rural farm and lifestyle properties.

“Despite knowing this, council proceeded to consult the public on a misleading ‘average’ 5.8 per cent rates increase, while deliberately hiding the fact that many rural families would face increases of a far
greater magnitude.”

Wagstaff said recent statements by council staff and the Mayor claiming council was unaware of the impact on rural properties until June had been directly contradicted by the new evidence.

“Under section 82 of the Local Government Act 2002, councils are legally required to provide the public with all ‘relevant information’ to ensure meaningful consultation. Information detailing a massive, foreseeable rates shock for a specific part of the community is arguably the most relevant information there is,” he said.

Using LGOIMA, Wagstaff said he requested any and all material relating to rates and rural properties.

“It shows the Rodney stuff was locked in by October, even if everyone else’s CVs weren’t certified (by the Valuer-General).”

Wagstaff said Mayor Wayne Brown should apologise to rural ratepayers, some of whom were paying increases of up to 70 per cent.

“I am calling on Mayor Brown to immediately issue a public apology for misleading the public and to work with affected communities on a fair remedy for rates that have been set through this process,” he said.

“They are required by law to share this knowledge with ratepayers and they did not.

“It might have been that we still had to pay, but at least we would have known what was coming. To hold that back is not right.”

Wagstaff has written to the Ombudsman, saying council lacked transparency when consulting on its budget.

Auckland Council chief financial officer Ross Tucker said rates for individual properties or different parts of the city could only be established fairly when all property values were known.

“Council’s Annual Plan 2025/26 was a region-wide consultation, which focused on engaging with all Aucklanders,” he said.

“To have offered uncertified information to some individual communities, while not having it for others, could have undermined the rating valuation process and been potentially inaccurate and unfair.”

He maintained that no new rateable values were certified by the Valuer-General before June 6.

“Without all 630,000 rating valuations approved by the Valuer-General, we were unable to forecast rates at an individual level.

“This is because the council’s rates revenue requirement is shared between all properties, based on their share of the city’s total property value.

“It would not have been appropriate to publicly speculate about potential impacts based on preliminary and uncertified data.” 

Tucker did acknowledge, though, that council’s “ability to be more specific with our ratepayers was challenged by timing constraints this year”.

“The Annual Plan consultation material was based on the best available information and included all it could on the 2025/26 rates setting and across different properties, including rural. Council is comfortable we have complied with our consultation obligations under the Local Government Act 2002.”

He added that council had stressed that rates for individual properties would depend on the outcome of the rating valuation.

“We were very clear that our three-yearly legislated rating valuation meant the rates increases for individual properties would depend on how the value of each property moved in relation to the overall movement in value for properties.

“We continue to encourage our ratepayers to get in touch if they have concerns about paying rates – there is a range of assistance options available, so please visit the Auckland Council website or your rates notice for further information.”

The Mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.