- By Jacqui Church, Waikato District Mayor
I’m a local Port Waikato resident, business owner in Pukekohe, who has been connected to and lived in and around the Franklin area, including a family farm at Waipipi on the Awhitu
Peninsula for around 40 years.
I hear a lot about how local government needs get back to basics to help ease the financial strain on everyday Kiwis. And you know what? I couldn’t agree more!
We all know the cost of living is putting pressure every day on Kiwis, and it’s something we talk about and are focused on, every time we meet in chambers.
Councils are not immune to rising costs either. Higher interest rates, inflation, and new and
changing legislative requirements have made it more expensive to deliver the same services.
We have continued to navigate the rising costs and rising growth pressures of our district daily.
Do you realise that rates make up about 4 percent of the average person’s weekly budget.
And for that, you get a lot of services you can’t live without – drinking water, wastewater,
stormwater, rubbish, roading, people spaces like libraries and parks, animal control and many other services.
Here in the Waikato district, these essential services are at the heart of what we do. They are the lifeblood of our communities – helping people live, work, and thrive in ‘Beating Heart’ of New Zealand’s economic ‘golden triangle.
But let’s be clear: while these services might seem simple on the surface, delivering them is anything but simple.
Turning on the tap, driving to work, or getting the rubbish bags collected might seem
straightforward. And that’s the goal – these things should feel easy and not something you give much thought to; they just happen.
Behind the scenes, providing these services involves a level of complexity that often goes
unnoticed, within a highly regulated system of laws.
These are responsibilities we take seriously on your behalf; I’ll be talking to you in greater detail (in future columns) about the challenges and opportunities we face together, starting with roading.
