Your Rates at Work: Annual Report deep-dive series
The 'Your Rates at Work' social media series is being published on MDC’s Facebook page, with a new post going live each business day over the next two weeks. Follow MDC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manawatudc to view the posts in real time. The posts will also be uploaded to this webpage for reference.
1. Launch
Manawatū District’s ratepayers support Council to deliver a variety of services across the District. But do you know how we put your rates to work?
From next Monday (20 April), we’re kickstarting our ‘Your Rates at Work’ social series to take a closer look at some of Council’s key service areas and sharing highlights from MDC’s 2024/25 Annual Report.
From roads, to water, to emergency management, community facilities and more, this series will detail some of the work your rates support to keep our District ticking.
Keep an eye out next Monday as we dive into the social series!
2. Water
From stormwater, to wastewater, to drinking water, Council always has maintenance, renewals, upgrades, and projects on the go.
From the Annual Report, here’s a snapshot of what happened in 2024/25:
- Stormwater: The design and consenting process for work in Himatangi Beach begun to address ongoing inundation issues. Short and long-term improvements were also planned across the District.
- Wastewater: Progress continued on the Wastewater Centralisation Project in Rongotea and Halcombe, with land tenure negotiations, in-house design work, pipeline planning, and construction contracts approved.
- Water supply: Feilding’s Water Resilience investment programme was progressed, and the Campbell Road bore and water treatment plant was completed in October 2025. Work progressed on the Turners Road Reservoir, the Roots Street West Water Treatment Plant (which opened in November 2025), and the Stanway Halcombe rural water scheme.
- Local Water Done Well: Consultation for an in-house standalone delivery model received more than 500 submissions! Following this, elected members voted to retain the in-house stand-alone model, which received Department of Internal Affairs approval in November 2025.
Looking to dive deeper into MDC’s water services? Read pages 52-57 of the 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF file, 10.0 MB).
3. Roading
Council plays an important role in keeping the Manawatū District moving. From resurfacing roads, repairing damage from severe weather events, to supporting residential and industrial growth, there is always roading improvements happening across our network.
From the Annual Report, here’s a snapshot of what happened in 2024/25:
- Resurfacing: A total of 42.4km of chip seal resurfacing was completed across the District, including a 1.06km section of Stewart Road with roadside drainage improvements, road reshaping and pavement strengthening.
- Residential growth: Roading works supported residential growth in areas including Maewa at the northern end of Feilding, Echo Street, Roots Street East.
- Industrial growth: Works were completed on Turners Road (Feilding) to help enable growth in the Kawakawa Industrial and Agri-business Park.
- Emergency work sites: Following Cyclone Gabrielle, work is in progress to repair damages. The replacement of Churchill Bridge was completed in October 2025 with Makiekie Bridge currently underway.
Looking to dive deeper into MDC’s roading services? Read pages 50-52 of the 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF file, 10.0 MB).
4. Council-Controlled Organisations
MDC’s Council Controlled Organisations play a key role in delivering outcomes across the District. These organisations independently manage some of the District’s facilities under a shared agreement.
From the Annual Report, here’s a snapshot of what happened in 2024/25:
- Manawatū Community Trust continued working towards its goal of delivering 250 housing units by 2030. They finished 2025 with 205 units completed, with 100% of their housing stock meeting Healthy Homes standards.
- Feilding Civic Centre Trust gained two new trustees in 2025, totalling a team of seven trustees. As a multi-purpose community venue, they promote participation in arts, culture, recreation and sport across the District.
- Awahuri Forest Kitchener Park Trust had two new trustees joined in 2025, and continued governing for long-term planning across reforestation, planting, biodiversity, hydrology, education and infrastructure. The new westside loop walk was also completed.
- Central Economic Development Agency (CEDA): As part of their vision for the Manawatū Region to be New Zealand’s most progressive, the strategy for Te Utanganui was refreshed, and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Air New Zealand and Palmerston North Airport to support regional economic outcomes.
Looking to dive deeper into MDC’s Council-Controlled Organisations? Read pages 39-41 of the 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF file, 10.0 MB).
5. Emergency Management
Under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, Council staff are trained in Civil Defence Emergency Management and play a key role in helping communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
From the Annual Report, here’s a snapshot of what happened in 2024/25:
- Platform upgrades: MDC rolled out the digital D4H incident management platform, helping streamline event response and coordination.
- Council officer training: At least 85% of Manawatū District Council’s Incident Management Team staff were trained to intermediate level under the Integrated Training Framework for Emergency Management Manawatū.
- Working in the community: Council continued promoting emergency management, working alongside the District’s community committees, community organisations, and strategic partners. Staff attended local events, completed district radio upgrades, installed radios at remote marae and many rural schools, and worked with schools on emergency preparedness education.
- ‘The Quarrie’: Council acquired a Major Incident Air Shelter to serve as an alternative Emergency Operations Centre. Named The Quarrie, the shelter aligns with the same approach used by NZDF, St John, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Red Cross, and the National Emergency Management Agency.
Looking to dive deeper into MDC’s Emergency Management? Read pages 47, 87-88 of the 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF file, 10.0 MB).
6. Regulatory
From animal control, to consents and planning, Council’s Regulatory teams help keep the Manawatū District communities and environment safe and well-managed.
From the Annual Report, here’s a snapshot of what happened in 2024/25:
- Animal Control: Council continued administering key Animal Control legislation and bylaws. Impressive statistics show that the Animal Control team responded to 99.7% of urgent requests about dog attacks or wandering stock within 15 minutes of receiving them.
- Building Control: As an accredited Building Consent Authority, Council continued administering the Building Act 2004. This included responding to earthquake-prone, dangerous, and insanitary buildings, as well as building-related complaints and advice.
- Compliance and Monitoring: Council carries out a wide range of responsibilities under legislation. This includes registering and auditing premises that prepare and sell food, responding to complaints such as noise issues, and enforcing legislation relating to hazardous substances.
- Consents Planning: Council continued applying the District Plan and policies that reflect Central Government direction. The team processed resource consents, building consent applications, alcohol licencing, LIM reports, and worked to ensure information about the resource consent application process remained up to date.
Looking to dive deeper into MDC’s Regulatory services? Read pages 78-84 of the 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF file, 10.0 MB).
7. Waste Minimisation
Council proactively seeks out ways to reduce waste going to landfill through practical recycling programmes, smarter recovery options, and supporting community-led initiatives.
From the Annual Report, here’s a snapshot of what happened in 2024/25:
- Waste Minimisation: Council continued delivering the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2022–2028, with many initiatives fully or partly funded through the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Levy. This includes Feilding’s Food Scraps service which launched in November 2025.
- Tyrewise: The Manawatū Resource Recovery Centre became a registered Tyrewise collection point, helping make sure tyres are tracked and responsibly managed. Since September 2024, the centre has diverted 52.46 tonnes of tyres, contributing to a 70% reduction in fly-tipped tyres across the district.
- Construction and demolition waste: 3-month trials at the Manawatū Resource Recovery Centre saw construction and demolition waste sent to Central Environmental for recycling, while polystyrene was sent to E-Cycle. Both trials proved successful and were made permanent.
- Waste Not Want Not Fund: The fund continued supporting the community to deliver projects that reduce waste. Funding recipients included EnviroSchools, Zero Waste Education, Paper4Trees, the Feilding Repair Café, and many more.
Looking to dive deeper into MDC’s waste minimisation? Read pages 48-49 of the 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF file, 10.0 MB).
8. Governance and Strategy
Council’s Governance and Strategy teams are at the heart of helping our Elected Members lead with confidence, set a clear direction, make thoughtful decisions, and champion the needs of our District.
From the Annual Report, here’s a snapshot of what happened in 2024/25:
- Assisting elected members: Council officers supported Elected Members to set the strategic direction for the District and equip them to make decisions that balance rates affordability with community aspirations.
- Preparing submissions to Central Government: In 2024/25, Council prepared and submitted 30 submissions to Central Government, one to LGNZ, and one to Horizons. This helped promote and advocate for the District’s best interests at regional and national levels.
- Meeting statutory obligations: Council continued meeting its responsibilities under legislation. Alongside the formal Council team of elected members and the Mayor, this also supported the work of five standing committees and 16 community committees. In 2024/25, 100% of meeting and committee agendas were made available within statutory timeframes.
Looking to dive deeper into MDC’s Governance and Strategy? Read pages 89-94 of the 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF file, 10.0 MB).
9. Community Facilities Group
Community facilities provide safe, quality engagement opportunities for our communities. Across the Manawatū District, these spaces support connection, recreation, wellbeing, and remembrance.
From the Annual Report, here’s a snapshot of what happened in 2024/25:
- Manawatū Community Hub Libraries: With Feilding’s Te Āhuru Mōwai serving as a hub of community activity, Council’s library services provided a wide range of workshops and opportunities for connection. 78,809 library e-services and resources were provided and 210,704 books, magazines and resources were issued!
- Makino Aquatic Centre: The facility continued providing spaces for aquatic play, recreation, and education. The centre is PoolSafe accredited and exceeded its target for participation in water activities, achieving record-breaking usage of 142,226 visitors.
- Parks, reserves and sportsgrounds: Council continued maintaining parks, reserves, and sportsgrounds while also improving accessibility to facilities, including working with Sport Manawatū to deliver programmes and continued planning for walking and cycling networks.
- Cemeteries: Council continued to care for, enhance, and plan for the future of the District’s eight Council managed cemeteries. This includes maintaining accurate burial records and meeting the requirements of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964.
Looking to dive deeper into MDC’s Community Facilities Group? Read pages 31-32, 36-37, 61-69 of the 2024/25 Annual Report (PDF file, 10.0 MB).