Long Term Plan 2027-2037

When everything matters, what matters most? We're planning for the next 10 years in Tararua and we need you to show us what matters most to you.

Budget Challenge Image

More of this = Less of that. Split the budget across key services. See the trade-offs. Make the hard calls. Then, back that up with direction and tell us what Council should keep, start and stop doing.

TAKE THE BUDGET CHALLENGE

VIEW OUR DRAFT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

SEE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS SAYING

Ways to give feedback:

  • Take on the Budget Challenge online and give us feedback: www.tararuadc.govt.nz/budgetchallenge
  • Visit one of our service centres and take the challenge in person or get a copy of a hardcopy form.
  • Fill in a hardcopy form and post it to us:
    Long Term Plan 2027-2037
    FreePost 69367
    PO Box 115, Dannevirke 4942
    Please note NZ Post delivery timeframes.
  • Come along to an event - event times and dates are yet to be confirmed, please check back later.

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE FORM (PDF file, 341.1 KB)

VIEW UPCOMING EVENTS

Early engagement is open from 20 April to 31 May 2026

Get involved through our website or socials, come along to an event, or keep an eye on the Bush Telegraph.

  1. (Now) 20 April - 31 May 2026

    Early engagement & conversations with the community - getting a picture of what matters most to our communities right now.

  2. Wednesday, 25 June 2026

    Council meeting - public feedback is considered and discussed here. Live streaming on YouTube.

  3. August 2026

    Feedback loop - the results of early engagement, and the discussions that followed, are shared with the community.

  4. September - December 2026

    Data from early engagement is used to make decisions about council spending and services over the next 10 years. A draft 2027–37 Long Term Plan is prepared for public consultation.

  5. Early 2027

    Public consultation - a more focused conversation asking questions about big issues and looking at all the options.

  6. Early 2027

    Council meeting - consultation results are considered and discussed.

  7. Late June 2027

    Council adopts the final Long Term Plan 2027-2037. The plan and all supporting documents are loaded to the council's website.

  8. 2027

    Feedback loop - the results of public consultation are shared with the community, as well as the decisions that followed and the next steps for the Long Term Plan.

The Long Term Plan (LTP) is Tararua District Council's 10-year plan for the services, projects, and investment it will deliver from 2027 to 2037. It sets out how the Council plans to fund these activities, including what that means for rates, and provides a framework for decision-making over the decade. The Council is required by law to produce an LTP every three years.

Early engagement (happening now) is an open conversation to gather your views before the draft plan is written. Formal consultation, called the Special Consultative Procedure, happens after the draft LTP is prepared; this is likely to be early 2027.

At that stage, you can make a formal submission on specific proposals. Both stages matter. Early engagement shapes what goes into the draft. Formal consultation shapes what is finalised.

The LTP Budget Challenge is an interactive online tool that lets you explore the trade-offs involved in setting the Council's budget. You can add or remove funding across the six service areas and see how your choices affect the overall budget. You can also rate whether you think the Council is heading in the right strategic direction, and tell us what you think Council should keep, start and stop doing.

For the purpose of this engagement, Council-funded services have been grouped into six areas:

  1. Roads and Transport;
  2. Community Spaces and Support (including libraries, halls, and recreation);
  3. Looking After Our Environment (recycling, district planning, emergency management);
  4. Running the Council (governance and corporate functions, communications, customer service);
  5. Consents and Licensing; and
  6. Growing Our District (economic and community development).

Water services are transitioning to a separate organisation. See the Water Services question below for more information.

If you'd like to learn more about the services that council funds, and how we fund them, read our Annual Budget 2026/27.

Drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services are being transferred from Tararua District Council to a new organisation called Wairarapa-Tararua Waters. This is a Council-Controlled Organisation (CCO) that will manage these services across the wider Wairarapa-Tararua region. Because of this, you will not see water services as part of the interactive LTP Budget Challenge.

The Council has to balance community expectations with financial sustainability. If demand for services exceeds what is affordable at an acceptable rates level, the Council will need to prioritise. This could mean deferring some projects, reducing service levels in lower-priority areas, or exploring borrowing and external funding. This is exactly the kind of trade-off the LTP process is designed to work through with the community.

Yes, in some cases. The Council can reduce the level of service it provides. For example, maintaining roads less frequently, reducing library hours, or closing facilities. Some services are required by law and cannot be cut entirely. Your feedback helps us understand which services the community considers essential, and where you would accept lower service levels in exchange for lower rates.

Yes. Councillors rely on community feedback when making decisions.

They see what people say, both individual feedback and overall trends, and use that to guide their decisions.

The draft LTP will be shared in early 2027 through a formal community consultation. The final LTP is usually adopted around June.

When the final LTP is published, we will publish a summary of community feedback received during both early engagement and formal consultation and explain how it shaped the Plan.