15 October 2025
File Ref: IRC-9017
Pete Jones
[FYI request #32146 email]
Tēnā koe Pete,
Thank you for your response to my email sent on 5 August 2025. To confirm, your response provided
on 7 September was as fol ows:
With respect to the response received from Wel ington City Council to my request - IRC-9017 Pete
Jones - Rates Calculations 25 Sep - I offer the following clarifications to my original questions:
1. Regarding my Questions 1-3 and the response received I have reviewed the information provided,
thank you, and while it is comprehensive it does not specify the underlying calculation method,
algorithm or toolset used to generate Rates demands per property owner. While rating Valuation is
offered as the primary factor in calculating rates I have the following response from QV:
'Council sets rates each year based on its budget requirements, and while rating valuations are one
factor in how those rates are apportioned, the calculation itself is carried out by council. It’s also my
understanding that rates are not determined purely by the valuation, with other factors taken into
account. Unfortunately, we don’t have oversight of how their formula is applied to individual
properties.'
So, to clarify, would you please provide details of the specific calculator, process or workflow used by
Council to generate the numbers (the rates demand figures) that appear on property owners' rates
invoices and detail any changes to this method of calculation that have occurred over the timeframe
of the request.
I hope that clarifies and makes more specific the focus of my request.
2. Regarding my Question 4 and the response I received would you please focus on the proportion of
calls/requests to Council related to rates compared with other matters, requests, or issues raised. I
am trying to gauge whether rates are the dominant or primary concern for Wellington property owners
over the timeframe I have specified and whether there has been a change over that period.
I would also like to see any related, internal communications that may reflect concern within council
regarding ratepayers indicating their concern regarding the level of rates increases over the specified
period.
For clarity, the specified period within your original request was from rating year 2020 to 2026.
Your request has been considered under the Local Government Of icial Information and Meetings Act
1987 (LGOIMA). Below are the questions contained within your response above, followed by our
response to each:
Question 1 –
Would you please provide details of the specific calculator, process or workflow used by
Council to generate the numbers (the rates demand figures) that appear on property owners' rates
invoices and detail any changes to this method of calculation that have occurred over the timeframe
of the request.
This part of your request has been refused under section 17(d) of the LGOIMA as the information
requested is publicly available.
The Council’s
Long-Term Plan (LTP) is published every three years and sets out the strategic
direction, priorities, and funding for the city over a 10-year horizon. In the years between LTPs, the
Council releases
Annual Plans to update budgets and activities for the upcoming financial year.
Information on how rates are calculated is published within these plans. Below are links and recent
examples of where you can find this information.
Annual Plan 2025/26
From page 41 of the 2025/26
Annual Plan, titled “Rating Mechanisms”, outlines the methodology,
including the use of capital value as the basis for general rates, the application of dif erentials across
property categories, and the inclusion of targeted rates for specific services such as water,
stormwater, and waste management. The document also explains how rates revenue is apportioned
to meet the Council’s budgeted expenditure. Any changes to the rating approach or calculation
method are transparently documented in these plans as part of the annual consultation and adoption
process.
Long-Term Plan 2024/25
Similar information to what is outlined above for the 2025/26 Annual Plan can be found from page 161
of th
e 2024-25 Long-Term Plan Volume 2.
Question 2 –
Regarding my Question 4 and the response I received would you please focus on the
proportion of cal s/requests to Council related to rates compared with other matters, requests, or
issues raised. I am trying to gauge whether rates are the dominant or primary concern for Wellington
property owners over the timeframe I have specified and whether there has been a change over that
period.
When calling the Council’s Contact Centre, the caller is promoted to pick a specific classification that
their cal relates to e.g. rubbish and recycling, dogs, parking, rates etc.
The table below provides a breakdown of the call type, as selected by the caller:
2025 Grand
Call Type
2022
2023
2024
(in part) Total
General
94084
77804
45426
29253
246567
Parking
30481
30745
27120
20270
108616
Building inspections
15821
15509
13413
8525
53268
Outbound
15905
16588
13473
7084
53050
Building and Planning
14847
14302
12755
8363
50267
Rates
6665
12564
17172
13158
49559
Water and Drainage
255
8826
13477
7040
29598
Noise Control
8123
7104
5794
3070
24091
Rubbish and Recycling
4079
10566
7046
21691
Water, Drainage and Roading
17829
464
61
18354
Swimwel and Recreation
5592
4697
4369
3251
17909
Roading
89
5519
6767
4631
17006
Information and
Communications Technology
Service Desk
4987
4022
3347
1912
14268
City Housing
8186
4732
12918
Dog
1191
2015
2891
2484
8581
Te Toi Mahana
3300
4031
3
7334
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Meridian Energy Windfarm
27
17
13
10
67
Grand Total
224082 212287 180675
116100
733144
Please note:
• 2025 data covers the period of 1 January 2025 to 15 September 2025.
• As mentioned, the data provided reflects the topic selected by callers when contacting the
Council’s Contact Centre (e.g. rates, rubbish and recycling, dogs, parking). It does not
capture the specific reason or nature of each enquiry. For example, a cal classified under
“rates” may relate to a wide range of matters such as payment arrangements, account
updates, general queries, or technical issues, not necessarily concerns or complaints.
• Regarding the call type “Outbound”, these are calls that are transferred or forwarded from our
Contact Centre to either a Council officer or a dif erent organisation.
• Regarding figures for:
o 2022 Rubbish and Recycling – cal s relating to these were assigned as “General” and
the option to pick “Rubbish and Recycling” as the reason for a call was created in
2023.
o 2025 (in part) Water, Drainage and Roading – this option was separated in 2024.
Water related cal s now are assigned to “Water and Drainage” and Roading cal s are
now assigned to “Roading”.
• Regarding data for “City Housing”, Te Toi Mahana started to manage Council’s Housing
programme from 1 August 2023.
Question 3 –
I would also like to see any related, internal communications that may reflect concern
within council regarding ratepayers indicating their concern regarding the level of rates increases over
the specified period.
Thank you for this question above which is a new addition to the questions you originally raised on 28
August 2025.
Similarly to the correspondence I sent you on 5 August 2025, the scope of this new question is
extremely broad. Your request currently posed wil cover internal communications across all of
Council staff, over the period of five years.
I approached the Council’s IT department to undertake a forensic search within the Council’s email
database to provide me with an indication of how many items (emails) are in scope of this part of your
request.
A search was undertaken within the date range of 1 July 2020 to 7 September 2025, for any internal
emails and/or teams messages that mention the following word/s:
•
“Rates increase”
•
“Rates increases”
•
“Increase”
•
“Concern”
•
“Concerning”
•
“Worry”
A total of 937,345 items were found in scope. To refine the request further, I limited the scope to items
relating to staff members currently within the rates team, noting that while they administer and help
explain rating policies, they do not determine the rates or make policy decisions. This brought the total
down to 25,841 items in scope, which although is considerably smal er than the first amount, is stil a
very high amount of information in scope.
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With this in mind this part of your request has been refused pursuant to section 17(f) of the LGOIMA,
as the information requested cannot be made available without substantial collection or research.
However, I have provided further information below which you may find useful.
In Conclusion
We acknowledge your interest in how rates are calculated and your broader concerns, both internal
and from the public regarding rates increases. Proposed rates are published within our Long-Term
Plan every three years and Annual Plans in the intervening years. These proposals are subject to
public consultation, al owing residents to provide feedback before any decisions are made.
Council ors consider this feedback alongside financial and strategic priorities before voting to adopt
final rates.
For further insight into community views, you may wish to review the Council’s
Let's Talk webpage
which captures consultation feedback summaries published alongside each plan. For example, the
Long-term Plan 2024-34 amendment and Annual Plan 2025/26 webpage provides a link to a
summary of the consultation results. These documents provide context on the range of perspectives
shared by Wellingtonians during the consultation process.
We recognise that rates increases can place financial pressure on some members of our community.
The Council offers a range of support options for those who may be struggling which includes:
•
Rates Remissions
•
Rates Rebates
• Various
payment options
We encourage anyone experiencing dif iculty to reach out to the Council directly to discuss these
options with us.
I trust this information is helpful. If you have any concerns about the response, please contact
[Wellington City Council request email]. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to raise any concerns
with the Of ice of the Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
If you require further information, please contact
[Wellington City Council request email].
Nāku noa, nā
Ol ie Marchant
Senior Advisor
Of icial Information & Privacy
Wellington City Council
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