"Federated Farmers was informed less than a week before submissions were due to close. When some of our members are going to pay $27,000 more a year in rates, a notice in the paper isn't good enough. In a democracy people deserve to be able to make an informed decision," she said.
The proposed rates hike came on top of a raft of new regulations and costs imposed by central government, such as the Emissions Trading Scheme and the National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme.
"Our members are telling us they've had a gutsful," Mrs Wilson said.
Phil Stocker, of Northland Forest Managers, said some forest owners were facing a 500 per cent rates increase. He realised the industry had a "massive impact" on country roads, but many forests backed on to state highways, which were not maintained by the council.
"We can't convert forest back into farmland because we're locked into the ETS, so we're between a rock and a hard place," he said.
Others questioned the data used. One said farmers should drive their tractors to Kaikohe when the council votes on the plan, another said he would be prepared to withhold his rates, but Kerikeri kiwifruit grower Murray Forsyth said they would succeed only if they stuck together, and were prepared to put up money for a judicial review.
"You can beat council, but it costs you," he said.
The meeting also resolved to seek more information on past road expenditure, and set up a steering committee comprising Mr Jamieson, Mrs Wilson, Kaitaia dairy farmer (and former councillor) Fiona King, one forestry and one horticulture representative.
