Media Release - High levels of service highlighted in council’s Annual Report 2021/22

Manawatū District Council has adopted the Annual Report 2021/22 at its Council meeting held on Thursday, 4 May.

The report highlights what Council delivered for the financial year compared to what was forecast for year one of the Manawatūmeke 10 Year Plan (also known as the Long-term Plan).

Mayor Helen Worboys says that what the Council managed to achieve over the year has been outstanding given the challenges that COVID-19 created.

“It is really encouraging to see that we were successful in meeting 84% of our key targets, both in project delivery and also levels of service, which given the impact that the second COVID-19 lockdown and the subsequent Omicron outbreak caused on Council business, reflects the hard work and dedication of the Council’s operational team.

“The adoption of our Annual Report was a big milestone for us and reflects the huge amount of great work that is being delivered across the district. As your elected members, we were delighted to see major projects such as the Mangaweka Bridge, Resource Recovery Centre, and Kōwhai Park Playground reach completion as we know how much of a positive impact projects like these have on our communities.

“It is really positive to see the numbers coming out of our regulatory team, with 709 building consents issued over the year, and 6,352 building inspections. All this activity helps us in our work towards addressing housing shortfalls in Feilding and encouraging further economic investment.

“Overall, community satisfaction with our services varies between 66 and 95 percent. We recognise there is a pressing need for some in the community for us to focus on stormwater issues that are affecting them, and our team have been working on solutions with the aim of implementing some of these in this financial year.”

The full report is now available from Council’s website, but some key facts and figures from the report are available below:

  • 56 km of road resealing completed throughout the district.
  • 3.9 km of pavement resealing completed
  • The Feilding Orbiter bus service was launched by Horizons Regional Council, with support and advocacy from Manawatū District Council.
  • Council adopted the Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2022–2028, which will see increased levels of service to people living in Feilding, Sanson, Halcombe, Rongotea and Himatangi Beach, most notably kerbside recycling services.
  • 19 schools and kindergarten completed the Council-funded Enviroschool Programme.
  • We provided $17,872 of financial assistance to 15 applicants to attend regional, national, or international events through the Representative Grant
  • $687,711 was provided to community and not-for-profit organisations from Council’s Priority Service Fund.
  • A total of $41,800 was provided to 14 applicants of Council’s Creative Communities Scheme.

To view the full report, click here (PDF file, 6.3 MB).

To view a summary of the report, click here (PDF file, 2.1 MB).