“If council tried to self-deliver that work we’d have to buy millions of dollars worth of equipment. It would sit idle, doing nothing, for most of the year.”
The same idea applied to areas like the Whanganui’s wastewater and drinking water networks, he said.
“We have companies like Veolia doing the maintenance and operations of those things because it’s more cost-effective.”
South Taranaki Mayor Phil Nixon. Photo / Bevan Conley
Elsewhere, the Rangitīkei District Council spent $3.56 million on consultants and contractors.
Ruapehu spent $3.27 million and South Taranaki spent $155,000 - the lowest in the country.
South Taranaki Mayor Phil Nixon said he wasn’t sure if there was a prize involved but he would happily take it.
“As a smaller council, we are always looking at how we can be most cost-effective for the ratepayers.
“We need to be prudent.”
However, It was difficult to compare council expenditure in that area, he said.
Roading in South Taranaki had been brought “back in-house” a few years ago.
“Quite a few years ago, we brought our park staff back in, to a certain degree, and our aquatic services are back in-house as well,” Nixon said.
Palmerston North City notched up $70.4 million, with New Plymouth spending slightly less than Whanganui - $21.7 million.
Christchurch City Council spent $15.7 million on consultants and contractors in 2021/22.
Langford said that the council created Citycare as its own contractor to deliver services.
“They are big enough to justify having that resource on full-time. They don’t need to pick it up and drop it like smaller councils do.”
Nixon said the council didn’t just bring services in-house “for the hell of it”.
“It always comes down to good economic management.
“We look at the service we’re getting, what it’s costing and what we can do it for to still get the same result.”
For the 2021/22 financial year, the Taxpayers’ Union said Whanganui District Council’s average residential rate was $3015 and its average non-residential rate was $7845.
That ranked Whanganui as having the 38th lowest residential rates and the 45th lowest non-residential rates.
Langford said there were 67 district and local authority councils, excluding regional councils.
“If you take our average residential rates, we’re really close to the average for the country.
“Yes, we have some really high rates, but they’re paid for by people who live in expensive houses in St Johns Hill and some of the more affluent suburbs.”
Whanganui having really high rates was “a myth that needs busting”, Langford said.
“Maybe 10 years ago they were really high compared to the rest of the country but now, we’re in the middle of the pack.”
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
