Local Government (Rates Capping) Amendment Bill
This bill proposes to change the law about how much local councils can increase rates each year. It would set a limit on how much rates can go up, linking it to the average wage increase across New Zealand. This means councils could not raise rates by more than this set percentage, unless they get special permission from the Minister of Local Government.
What this affects
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This bill would limit how much local councils can increase rates, which could affect household budgets and council finances.
This Bill amends the Local Government Act 2002 to cap the annual increase in rates.
A local authority must not increase the total amount of general rates and targeted rates set by it in any financial year by a percentage that is greater than the average annual percentage increase in all ordinary time weekly earnings (as published by Statistics New Zealand).
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
Submissions open once a bill reaches the select committee stage and the committee calls for them. In the meantime, you can write to your local MP about it.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.