Q. Who pays rates to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council?
A. By law, all people who pay rates to their own local council must also pay rates to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council. This has been the case since 1989.
Q. Why are rates invoices now being sent separately?
A. Changes to the law mean local (district or city) councils no longer have to collect rates for regional councils if they don't want to. The local councils chose not to and so in 2003 the Regional Council collected its total rates collection itself. The costs of collection were going to be similar so Councillors believed that collecting our own rates would increase the accountability and awareness of the Regional Council.
Q. How often will I get a rates invoice from the Regional Council?
A. You will get one rates invoice a year, which will cover the total rates due. In the past this has been October with payment due on 30 January the following year but Council is currently reviewing the dates when accounts are sent and the due dates for payment.
Q. Can I pay my rates by installment?
A. Yes. There are a number of different payment options outlined on this website. You can contact our Rates Office to arrange alternatives.
Q. How much of the Regional Council's public funded expenditure comes from rates?
A. Only 24% of Council's public benefit expenditure is met by the General Rate. the balance is met by Council's investment income (i.e. Port of Napier dividends, leasehold rentals) which provide $7.5 million or 71%, and reserves which provide $0.5 million or 5%.
Q. Where can I view my rates information?
A. You can either visit the Council's Head Office in Dalton Street, Napier (see Contacts), or via the Rates Information Database (RID) webpage at this site. The RID includes all rates charged on a property for both regional general rates and targeted (works) rates, such as flood protection schemes and transport. It's updated each year and also can be handy when you are considering buying a new property. Note that the RID does not cover rates for City or District Councils. Local people can visit the Council's Head Office in Dalton Street, Napier for more information (for location of Head Office, see Contact Page).
Q. I live in the city. What benefit do I get from paying regional rates?
A. Regional Councils are responsible for many important activities which benefit those who live in cities as well as in the country. For example, Hawke's Bay Regional Council:
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looks after the natural environment through setting standards for water quality in our rivers and streams, balancing the needs of our eco-systems with that of people and development,
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is the lead agency in plant pest (weed) control, possum control (keeping our meat export trade) and advising on better land management practices resulting in more plantings and less scarring of surrounding countryside,
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flood protection from many rivers and streams
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bus transport and total mobility services.
Regional rates help fund many of these services for the Region, which includes Napier, Hastings, Central Hawke's Bay and Wairoa.
Q. What rates do urban ratepayers in Napier, Taradale, Hastings, Flaxmere and Havelock North pay?
A. This differs from area to area...
- Every ratepayer will pay a general rate to Council. This is calculated on adjusted land value with no differentials applying and is $43.70 per $100,000 adjusted land value. Note : Council is considering a proposal to introduce a Uniform Annual General Charge as a proportion of the general rate.
- Ratepayers who live on the flood plain will pay Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme direct and indirect benefit rates which collectively amount to $14.76 per $100,000 adjusted capital value.
- Most ratepayers will pay drainage area rates (either Karamu tributaries or Napier/Meeanee/Puketapu) which help maintain the drainage network in these areas. Rates are about $50 per $100,000 adjusted land value with industrial properties paying more due to their higher levels of runoff.
- Every ratepayer will pay a subsidised public transport rate which helps meet the cost of subsidised public and disability transport. The rate is $19.80 per $100,000 adjusted land value.
Q. Where did the Regional Council get the information about my property?
A. The information has come from existing information held by local district or city councils.
Q. Will I still have to pay rates to my local district or city council?
A. Yes. You will receive a separate invoice from your local council later this year. Unlike previous years, it will not include a charge from the Regional Council.
Q. Why do I have to pay Passenger Transport rates if I don't use the bus?
A. Having an efficient public transportation system in Napier and Hastings benefits everyone. Traffic congestion costs time and money, and contributes to our air pollution problems. The Regional Council uses the money it collects from rates to improve services in Napier and Hastings and for planning to avoid the traffic problems that are plaguing other cities.
Q. Can I speak to someone about my individual rates invoice?
A. Yes. Please call the Council's Rates Desk on (06) 835-9219, or for caller outside the toll free area Freephone 0800-108-838 and ask to speak to our Rates Team.
Q. What other changes has been made to rating?
A. The Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 introduced some new concepts for rating. One of the main changes is a shift to owner liability. The owner of a property, rather than the occupier, is now the ratepayer and is the person responsible for ensuring rates are paid. For leased properties the owner will be invoiced and will need to pay the rates. There are a few exceptions where a lease is over ten years and states that the lessee is to pay the rates, and in these cases lessees will be invoiced directly. One Rates Assessment for each Rating Unit is now required. This means that part of property, such as one shop in a block of five, will not be separately rated. The owners will receive one invoice for their entire property. Again, exceptions will only apply for leases over ten years. In most cases, a rating unit is the area specified in the Certificate of Title. Exceptions may apply where a property is used as one farming operation, a significant improvement straddles the boundary of two titles, or where the titles are legally required to sold together.
-
looks after the natural environment through setting standards for water quality in our rivers and streams, balancing the needs of our eco-systems with that of people and development,
-
is the lead agency in plant pest (weed) control, possum control (keeping our meat export trade) and advising on better land management practices resulting in more plantings and less scarring of surrounding countryside,
-
flood protection from many rivers and streams
-
bus transport and total mobility services.
Regional rates help fund many of these services for the Region, which includes Napier, Hastings, Central Hawke's Bay and Wairoa.