Selwyn rates rise reflects growth

Residents in New Zealand’s fastest-growing district will be hit with a 5.3 per cent rates rise.

The Selwyn District Council yesterday adopted its annual plan for the next year.

Mayor Kelvin Coe said Selwyn, home to more than 41,000 people, had experienced the fastest population growth in the country in the past five years and the strongest economic growth of any district over the past year.

The council’s annual plan included an average rates rise of 5.3 per cent, down from the 5.8 per cent proposed in the council’s long-term plan.

Coe said the plan supported the council’s focus on investing in infrastructure and facilities for the district.

An aquatic centre was opened in Rolleston last month, and the next 12 months would see a new library in Lincoln and the eastern Selwyn sewerage scheme completed.

The council received 92 submissions on the draft plan.

The new plan includes $1 million more for roading, but the extra money would keep roads maintained only to their current standard because the level of funding the council received from the NZ Transport Agency had been reduced, Coe said.

The council also approved a proposal to liquidate Selwyn Investment Holdings Ltd, removing overhead costs previously associated with running the company.