Section 1 Introduction | He kupu whakataki

Welcome to our 2026/27 Annual Plan.

This Annual Plan is an update of year two of our 9 year plan 2025-34. It closely reflects what we said we would do in the second year of the 9 year plan and, while there has been some refinement, there aren’t major changes in direction for this year.

The environment we are operating in continues to shift, and we remain very mindful of the financial pressures facing households and businesses. These include ongoing cost of living and fuel price increases, driven in part by global factors such as the conflict in the Middle East.

We have looked carefully at our budgets in light of these pressures. As a result, the final non‑water rates increase for 2026/27 will be 4.3%, lower than the 6.9% increase we consulted with you on. 3 Waters rates will increase by 16.7%, as consulted on, to deliver our Water Services Delivery Plan. Overall, this results in a total rate increase of 8.9% for 2026/27 (water and non-water), down from the 10.5% increase in the consultation document.

There has also been some fine tuning of the capital programme for 2026/27. This ensures that what we are committing to is both affordable and deliverable, taking into account updated costs and delivery capacity, focusing on the most important projects and continuing to look after the assets and services our city relies on.

While this Annual Plan largely maintains the course set last year, it comes at a time of significant change for local government. Central government has signalled substantial reforms, including rate capping and amalgamation, which will affect how councils operate. The scale of what is coming means our next 10 Year Plan will be a significant and important piece of work.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the development of this year’s Annual Plan. We are grateful for the feedback we received through our engagement process and the ideas that were presented to us. Some of your ideas will be explored further, as we now work on our next draft 10 year plan 2027-37.

We appreciate your support of the work that we are doing to look after and invest in our city for now and future generations.

Sophie Barker

Mayor of Dunedin

He kupu whakataki nā te kahika

Kia ora, ko tēnei tā tātau Mahere ā-Tau 2026/27.

He mea whakahou tēnei Māhere ā-Tau i te tau tuarua o te mahere iwa tau 2025-34. Ka āta whakaatahia ā mātau kōrero i mua mō te tau tuarua  o te mahere iwa tau, ā, ahakoa i paku whakarawekehia, ehara i te mea he tino rerekē te aruka whakamua mō te tau nei.

He whenua whakaueue te āhua o tō tātau ao i tēnei wā, ā, e mahara nui hoki mātau ki kā tāmitaka tahua kai te aroaro o kā whānau, o kā pakihi anō hoki. Ko te nui o te utu ā-noho tērā, te whakapikika o te utu hinu tērā, ā, nā kā āhuataka o te wā ēnei raru e puta nei, pēnei i te pakaka ki Irāna.

Nā tā mātau mōhio ki ēnei pēhika, ko āta tirohia ā tātau tahua pūtea. Me te aha? Ko 4.3 ōrau te whakapikika rēti mutuka mō kā rēti wai kore mō te tau 2026-27, e noho whakararo tēnei i te 6.9 ōrau i whakapaehia i ā mātau wānaka ki tō koutou taha. Ka piki kā rēti Wai Toru ki 16.7 ōrau, koia te whika i whakatau ai tātau i roto i ā tātau kōrerorero i muaa, kia rato ai i tā tātou Mahere Whakarato Wai. Ko te hua nui, ka piki ake kā rēti katoa ki te 8.9 ōrau i te tau 2026/27 (ko te wai me te wai kore), e noho whakararo ana tēnei i te 10.5 ōrau i tohua ki te tuhika kōrerorero.

Ko āta whakamahine hoki te hōtaka moni tōpū mo te tau 2026/27. Ka mātua whakatau tō mātau ū titikaha ki kā kaupapa tareka ā-utu, ki kā kaupapa e taea ana hoki, e hākai ana ki kā utu hou, ki tō mātau kaha ki te whakaea kaupapa, ka aro atu hoki ki kā kaupapa matua, ā, ka tiaki tou kā rawa me kā whakaratoka e whirinakitia ana e te tāone nei.

Ahakoa mātua te ū mai o te Mahere ā-Tau nei ki te ara i whakatakoto i tērā tau, he ao hurihuri, he ao tukituki tēnei ao ki kā kāwana ā-rohe. Ko tohua mai e te Kāwanataka ētahi whakahoutaka, pēnei i te whakataupoki i kā rēti me te whakawhenumi i kā rohe, mā konei ka rerekē kā whakahaereka o kā kaunihera. Mā te nui whakaharahara o tēnei mahi kai te aroaro te Mahere Kahuru Tau e heke mai nei e whakahirahira ai.

Tēnei au e mihi nei ki a koutou katoa i whai wāhi ki te whanaketaka o te Mahere ā-Tau nei. Mānawanui te manawa i ā koutou kōrero i te wā o kā wānaka me kā kōrero ā-tāone, me kā whakaaro i whakatakoto mai ki a mātau. Ka āta wānaka tou ētahi o ō koutou whakaaro i a mātau e aro atu ana ki te tuhika hukihuki o te Mahere Kahuru Tau 2027/37.

E noho hūmarie ana mātau i tā koutou tautoko i ā mātou mahi kia tiakina ai, kia tāpae ai tō tātau tāone, mō te inamata, mō te anamata anō hoki.

Sophie Barker

Te Koromatua o Ōtepoti

Sophie Barker (Mayor)

Cherry Lucas (Deputy Mayor)

John Chambers

Jo Galer

Christine Garey

Doug Hall

Marie Laufiso

Russell Lund

Mandy Mayhem

Benedict Ong

Andrew Simms

Mickey Treadwell

Lee Vandervis

Steve Walker

Brent Weatherall