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About New Plymouth District Council

New Plymouth District Council is responsible for the environmental, social, economic and cultural well-being of New Plymouth District.

Through consultation with the community the council sets policies and bylaws which are regularly monitored and reviewed according to need, community feedback and central government regulations.

Operating under the Local Government Act 2002 (which provides the general framework and powers a council has), the council makes decisions for and on behalf of the local community.

Every three years the Mayor, 14 councillors and 16 community board members are elected by the district’s enrolled voters. Meeting on a six-weekly cycle, the council makes bylaws and policies and sets the district’s overall strategic direction. 

The Policy and Monitoring standing committees have delegated authority from the council to make final decisions on certain matters, and they make recommendations to the council on all others.  The four community boards – Clifton, Waitara, Inglewood and Kaitake – as well as the council’s subcommittees and working parties can make recommendations to the standing committees for them to consider.

The third standing committee, the Hearings Commission, is a quasi-judicial body that meets whenever a formal hearing is required – for instance, to hear submissions on a publicly notified resource consent application.

The Chief Executive and approximately 460 full time equivalent staff provide advice and information to the elected members and the public, implement council decisions and manage the district’s day-to-day operations.

This includes everything from maintaining more than 280 parks and reserves, waste water management and issuing consents and permits, through to providing libraries and other recreational services and ensuring the district’s eateries meet health standards.

• A-Z of council services 
• Key council staff
• Mayor and councillors
• Customer Service
• Service Standards
• Local Government Act 2002

Growth and plans for New Plymouth District

The council sets out its plan for New Plymouth District in the District Plan and the Community Plan (also called the Long-Term Council Community Plan or LTCCP).

The District Plan includes objectives, policies and rules that manage the adverse effects of activities on the environment with a focus on land use and subdivision activities.

The Community Plan is a 10-year plan for the district, reflecting what type of community the district’s residents would like to live in, and showing how the council and other organisations will work to build that community. It is reviewed every three years.

Read the plans and reports on the Council Documents page.

• Council documents 

How the council is funded

New Plymouth District Council’s annual operating revenue for 2007/2008 is more than $108 million and is raised from a number of places –

Source	Amount 07/08
General rates	$32,753,000
Uniform annual charges	$15,339,000
Fees and charges	$24,423,000
Interest and dividends	$24,278,000
Grants and subsidies	$11,259,000
TOTAL	$108,052,000

Operating expenditure

	Budget  07/08
Cultural Services	$13,104,000
Community Development	$5,159,000
Recreation and Events	$7,199,000
Parks	$14,458,000
Roads	$19,793,000
Solid Waste Management	$2,766,000
Stormwater	$2,354,000
Wastewater	$10,297,000
Water	$8,990,000
Regulatory Services	$7,953,000
Emergency Management and  Business Continuance	$284,000
Economic Growth	$2,667,000
Civic and Democracy Services	$5,863,000
Management of Investments  and Funding	$1,112,000
TOTAL	$101,999,000

 
The surplus of operating revenue over operating expenditure is used to:

1. Pay off debt.
2. Pay for roading (capital) improvements, as it was received from Land Transport New Zealand for this purpose.

Related links

• A-Z of council services
• Rates