28 Jul 2023

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Councillors have had their first briefing on the city’s finances, as Christchurch City Council prepares for its Long Term Plan (LTP) 2024–2034.

“The Long Term Plan is reviewed every three years and outlines the Council's activities, services, capital programme and finances for the next ten years,” says Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale. 

“Our LTP sets the direction for all the activities and services we provide, and how the Council will pay for these services – by setting rates and managing its finances. The plan also sets the strategic direction for the Council – where we’re going and what we want to achieve in the community.” 

Councillors were presented with scenarios of possible rates increases. These reflect draft numbers before any changes to the capital programme, levels of service or further efficiencies and savings, which will be developed in collaboration with the Council.  Staff also set the scene for the economic landscape Christchurch is expected to find itself in during the coming years of this Long Term Plan.  

You can view the briefing and see the presentation here.

“This is the second of a series of briefings as we lay the groundwork for the LTP. In this term we’ve committed to being more transparent about how these decisions come about – we want the community to come along on the journey with us.  The first briefing was presented at the Council meeting of 19 July and is also available online.

“These briefings will be about drilling down into exactly what the community needs. Times are tough and we simply aren’t able to do everything. We need to work out what we can afford, what we can actually deliver, and how we can best manage competing priorities. We also need to consider how we balance our immediate and future needs, and what affordability means - not only in the short term, but also in the long term.” 

“There’s a long road ahead – these numbers are raw and will change – but this is the starting point. We’ve already started conversations in the community with our ‘What Matters Most?’ campaign, which is letting us see what the priorities are, and that will inform what rates figure we end up with next year. 

What Matters Most? runs until 13 August. 

“We’re confident that this new way of doing things – with every discussion out there for people to be part of – will result in a Long Term Plan that truly reflects what matters most to our community, and sets us all on a solid path for the coming decade.” 

The Long Term Plan 2024–2034 will be adopted in March 2024 and go out for consultation shortly after that.