1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: The average rates shot up fifteen percent this year. Councils 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: are struggling to pay for infrastructure, they're struggling to pay 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: for services, et cetera. So Local Government New Zealand's come 4 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: up with a list of twenty five financing tools to 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: try and help reduce the pressure on ratepayers to fund 6 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: local councils. A lot of them we heard of before, 7 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,439 Speaker 1: you know, the GST sharing on new builds, congestion charging etc. 8 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: We're joined this morning by the Hodaki District mayor Toby Adams, 9 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: who's with me. Toby, good morning, Good morning, Ryan, you 10 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: very well, thank you. Obviously everyone knows the problem. I 11 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: think local councils don't have enough money and you don't 12 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: have enough ways of getting it. Which of these twenty 13 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: five would suit a council like yours? Which would you? Because 14 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: I don't think congestion charging will be up youre ally 15 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: would it? 16 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 2: Congesting charging wouldn't work. And that's what it is, twenty 17 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 2: five different ones because you know, in local government not 18 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 2: one size fits all obviously, so you've got to have 19 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 2: a vast range of different ones. But a GST share 20 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 2: would work in our council. A little bit of a 21 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 2: share of royalties. We've got a large mine in our district, 22 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 2: so if we had a share of royalties, they'll make 23 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 2: a huge difference in the amount of infrastructure that we 24 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 2: could get done with just a little bit of extra 25 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 2: out without having to put rates up in amounts. 26 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to ask about the mining WORYLTI 27 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: is given your location. Is the government open to that? 28 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 2: Lots of government say that they're open to it, but 29 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 2: I mean this has been gon for a long time. 30 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 2: We've never really had the conversation and they've said, you 31 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 2: know what, well, we'll definitely do it. 32 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,479 Speaker 1: Can you explain to me why is it so expensive 33 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: for councils to get stuff done? You know? And why 34 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: do we never have enough infrastructure? Is it literally because 35 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: the costs go up and you cannot charge the rate 36 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: payers we don't have enough people to fund it. 37 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean we've got You always have a small 38 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 2: base and rates is your only real tool to collect revenue. 39 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 2: You're always mindful of not putting the rates up too 40 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 2: high for various reasons, and a lot of it's not 41 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 2: normally political. It's just about hearing from your community that 42 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 2: they can't ford shute rate rises and infrastructure just costs 43 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 2: an absolute fortune at the moment. Like for our small council, 44 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 2: the powerball went up six hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 45 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 2: That's just to keep the lights going in your main 46 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 2: streets and your pumps running. So that's an increase of 47 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 2: sixty six hundred and fifty thousand dollars, so totally over 48 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 2: a year. It's now two million dollars a. 49 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: Year just for the power and that jumped six fifteen 50 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: one year, yep, one hundred percent. 51 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 2: So those are the kind of cost councils we're facing 52 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 2: in this last sort of economic crisis that we're in 53 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 2: and that's why rates went up so much. 54 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: Toby, thanks for your time. Toby Adams, the Hodaki District mayor. 55 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: They've got a conference going on and local government New 56 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: Zealand calling for more levers to pull to get cash 57 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: in the door for councils. 58 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live 59 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 2: to News Talks. 60 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast 61 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.