Waikato Regional Council's 2026/27 Annual Plan | Mahere ā-Tau is our statement to the community about our proposed finances and activities from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
Annual plans are largely determined by our long term plan (LTP), although strategic adjustments are sometimes required to ensure planning remains responsive to near-term opportunities and challenges.
For 2026/27, we have been able to keep the increase in total rates revenue from existing ratepayers to just 0.9 per cent.*
This number was significantly lower than the 4.2 per cent projected rates revenue increase signalled through our 2024-2034 Long Term Plan, and was made possible, in part, by the one-off use of unallocated prior year surpluses.
By striking a careful balance between affordability and delivering the outcomes our region expects, we have also been able to stick closely to the programme we signalled in our 2024-2034 LTP.
In total, we’ll spend around $228.3 million in 2026/27 to support a healthy environment, vibrant communities and strong economy.
Of that spend, around $156.341 million is funded by you, our ratepayers. The rest comes from things like fees and charges, government grants and investment income.
The 2026/27 Annual Plan was adopted by the council on 25 June 2026.
Contents
Mō tēnei mahere | About the plan
Rārangi kaupapa | Contents
Section 1: Whakaritea te wāhi | Setting the scene
Kōrero matua | Message from the chairperson and chief executive
Ngā hua tāke kaunihera | Your rates at work
Te Pae Tawhiti | Strategic Direction
Whai wāhi ai a Ngāi | Māori Iwi Māori participation
Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki Taupō Catchment Plan
Te Ture Whaimana o te Awa o Waikato | Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River
Ngā tīpako pūtea | Financial highlights 2026/27
Section 2: Ko ngā momo mahi | Groups of activities
Kiritaki, hapori, me ngā ratonga | Customer, community and services
Te Rakau Whakamarumaru ā Rohe o Waikato | Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group
Ngā mahi hei ārai, hei ārahi hoki i ngā waipuke | Flood protection and control works
Te whakahaere ā-tōpū i te rauwiringa wai | Integrated catchment management
Mōreatanga ā rohe me te whakarata ohotata | Regional hazards and emergency response
Ngā ara hono ā-rohe | Regional transport connections
Te whakamahinga o te taiao | Resource use
Pūtaiao, kaupapahere me te mōhiohio | Science, policy and information
Whakapaunga utu mō ia momo mahi | Operational expenditure by group of activities
Utunga reiti mō ia momo mahi | Rates revenue by group of activities
Section 3: Pūtea | Finances
Ngā tauākī pūtea ki te pae | Prospective financial statements
Ngā tauākī pānga pūtea mā te kāhui mahi | Funding impact statements by group of activity
Te tauākī pānga pūtea ā-tau | Annual funding impact statement for 2026/27
Te rārangi o ngā nama me ngā utu | Schedule of fees and charges
Ngā pānga ā-reiti mō ngā whenua tauira | Rating impacts for sample properties