Council Debt Clock
Waipā's debt burden now exceeds $392 million and continues to climb.
This equates to one of the highest debt-per-ratepayer ratios among local councils nationwide.
Councillors were cautioned at the time of the election that Waipā was heading into a perfect financial storm. Yet, despite these warnings, an additional $50 million was borrowed, pushing the district’s total LGFA debt to $392 million.
Why does the Waipā District Council persist with unchecked spending that is rapidly inflating debt, with no end in sight?
Traffic Chaos
Waipā has been undermined by poorly planned initiatives, including excessive speed bumps, reduced parking and for Cambridge, the sham consultation process regarding the third bridge.
Over the past three years, we’ve witnessed the Innovating Streets debacle coloured dots painted across intersections, planter boxes replacing valuable parking, and orange posts restricting access to local streets.
All of this was implemented without genuine public consultation, as part of a misguided social engineering program.
Residents were gaslit when 13 speed bumps between Cambridge town and Hamilton Road alone were introduced, while Te Awamutu and Kihikihi fared no better. These were rebranded as “speed cushions” and we were told the painted dots were “to distract drivers into slowing down for safety.” But distracting drivers is the opposite of safe.
Unaffordable Rate Increases
Year-on-year increases are outpacing the ability of ratepayers to keep up.
The upcoming rating year brings a rates increase of over 15%, with a likely real out-of-pocket cost substantially higher due to the scheduled 2025 property valuations. This will be followed by a further 9% increase the year after. The financial burden on ratepayers is escalating rapidly. In addition, a significant rise in public debt is planned to fund new infrastructure debt that future ratepayers will ultimately be responsible for at a time when global uncertainty is already shaping an unpredictable social and financial landscape.
Back to Basics
Have Council return to the basics and deliver core services the Waipa Community as a whole needs and deserves from it's Council
Waikato Waters Done to You aka 3 Waters
The Council is continuing at pace with the push for Three Waters reform, now rebranded under the banner of WWDW. Alongside this is the near-mandated introduction of fluoride to Waipa’s water supply. These issues should be at the top of the Council’s agenda for genuine engagement with residents, rather than the superficial approach currently being taken.
You would have thought the Council might have learned from the missteps of the past three years including the Bridge consultation, growing debt, and worsening traffic but unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case.
Transparency
Transparency should be a cornerstone policy for Waipā District Council. Yet, the number of closed-door meetings and heavily redacted information all under the guise of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) has become unacceptable. With all due respect, the Council is not the GCSB or the New Zealand Police. There is no justifiable reason for such excessive secrecy from an organisation that exists to serve the residents and ratepayers of Waipā.
As we approach the 2025 local body elections, voters need to support mayoral and council candidates who are genuinely committed to full transparency at Waipā District Council.
