Rates Review 2026 – Have your say
Consultation on Upper Hutt City Council's Rating Policy is now open.
We're reviewing how rates are shared across different types of properties in Upper Hutt and want to hear what our community thinks about the proposed changes.
The review is about how the rates Council needs to collect are shared across different properties and rating categories. It is not about setting the total amount Council collects each year. That happens through the Long Term Plan or Annual Plan process.
What is the Rates Review?
Rates help pay for the local services, facilities and infrastructure that support our city, including parks and reserves, libraries, recreation facilities, roads, planning and regulatory services, and Council's other activities.
Council uses different rating tools and categories to determine how the rates requirement is allocated across properties. The Rates Review looks at those settings and whether they remain appropriate for Upper Hutt.
Put simply, the review is about how the rates pie is divided, not the size of the pie.
What is the Rating Policy?
The Rating Policy sets out the principles and key rating tools Council uses when allocating rates across properties in Upper Hutt.
Currently, this information is spread across several Council documents, including the Revenue and Financing Policy, Funding Impact Statement and Rates Remission and Postponement Policy.
Council is proposing to bring these principles and settings together in one Rating Policy, making the rating system easier to understand and providing a clearer explanation of how rates are allocated.
The draft policy covers areas including:
- the principles Council uses when making rating decisions
- general rates and targeted rates
- categories used for differential rating
- rates remissions and postponements
- rating instalments, penalties, valuations and rating information.
Why are we reviewing it?
Council hasn’t undertaken a comprehensive review of its rating settings for some time. However, individual aspects of the rating system have been reviewed periodically through the Long Term Plan and Annual Plan processes.
The make-up of Upper Hutt's ratepayer base has changed over time. The review also comes as Council plans for the future following the transfer of drinking water, wastewater and piped stormwater services to Tiaki Wai on 1 July 2026.
The review allows Council to consider whether the current rating settings remain appropriate, taking into account who benefits from Council services, the demands different property uses may place on infrastructure, affordability for ratepayers and the need for a clear and practical rating system.
What is Council proposing?
Council is seeking feedback on a draft Rating Policy and proposed changes to how rates are shared across different types of properties.
The consultation presents two approaches:
Option 1 – Status quo
Retain the existing rating structure and settings.
Option 2 – Council's preferred approach
The proposed approach includes:
- Splitting the existing business rating category into commercial and industrial categories.
- Adjusting some general rate differentials, including those applying to rural, forestry and Three Waters Utilities properties.
- Introducing different rating settings for the Land Transport Rate, which helps fund Council's roads and transport network, to better reflect the demands different property uses may place on that network.
The proposed changes would affect how the rates requirement is shared between different rating categories. Some groups would contribute more and others less than under the current settings.
You can read the full consultation document, including the reasons for the proposed changes and examples of potential impacts, in the supporting documents on the right of this page.
What does this mean for my rates?
The proposed changes could affect how much individual properties contribute towards the overall rates requirement.
Some ratepayers could pay more and others could pay less than they otherwise would under the current settings. The impact would depend on factors including the property's rating category and capital value.
The review does not determine the overall amount Council needs to collect through rates. Any changes resulting from the review are intended to take effect from the 2027/28 financial year, beginning 1 July 2027.
Have your say
Consultation runs from 5pm 27 October to 5pm 27 November 2026.
We want to hear what you think about the proposed changes before Council makes its final decisions.
You can provide feedback through the survey below. The supporting consultation document is also available on this page and explains the options and indicative impacts in more detail.
Paper copies of the consultation material and submission form are available from Council's Customer Services counter and Upper Hutt Libraries.
No final decisions have been made. Council will consider community feedback before deciding whether to adopt the proposed changes.
What happens next?
Following consultation, Council will consider the submissions received and hold hearings (dates to be confirmed) for those who wish to speak to their feedback.
The Rating Policy is currently scheduled for adoption in February 2027.
Any adopted changes are intended to take effect from 1 July 2027.
