Waikato District Council strikes 2.8% rates rise - lowest in a decade

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Waikato District Council has signed off on a new rates rise of 2.8%

Waikato District home-owners can look forward to their lowest general rates rise in almost a decade.

Waikato District Council’s elected members on Tuesday formally adopted the council’s 2026/7 annual plan and rates strike, noting a 2.8% rise in general rates.

There’s also a 3% rise in the fixed Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC), but also an unexpected budget surplus thanks to government roading cash.

On top of the the new $564 UAGC, ratepayers will also pay targeted rates for some community facilities, depending on which catchment area they live.

Those were set at $34 for Huntly urban catchment, $25 for Ngaruawahia facilities and $34 for Raglan.

In addition, targeted rates are also applied for community halls within each catchment area. They range from $24 for Te Mata to $125 in Port Waikato.

The new district wide rubbish and recycling collection fixed fee was set at $314.79

With everything taken into account, ratepayers will pay an average of 3.79% more next year.

This rates result is a ‘great outcome’, Deputy Mayor Eugene Patterson said.

It’s one of the lowest general rate rises in years and below the rate of inflation.

The last time a general rates rise was as low as this was the 2.5% rise of 2017/18.

Overall, the average increase, including targeted rate, is still below the 4% rate-cap signalled by the government.

Deputy Mayor Eugene Patterson, who chaired meeting in the absence of Mayor Aksel Bech, said keeping the general rates rise down to 2.8% was a “great outcome’’ for the district’s ratepayers but he also acknowledged that the targeted rates for some properties were higher than forecast originally and affordability of rates, in general, remains an issue of “concern’’ for many in the community.

The new rates strike will swell council coffers by $123.9m over the 2026/7 year.

The first rates instalment is due September 22.

The council had thought it would enter the new financial year with a $550,000 deficit but because it had moved work on the Harrisville Road Bridge project forward it received $3m revenue from the New Zealand Transport Agency.

That means the council is now forecasting a $2.4m surplus for the year.