Revealed: How many complaints and what noise control costs Whanganui council

Whanganui District Council's noise control service cost ratepayers more than $100k over the 2019/20 financial year. Photo / File

Whanganui District Council spent more than $100,000 on its noise control service over the 2019/20 financial year, responding to almost 2000 noise complaints over a 12-month period.

The figures, released to the Chronicle under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, show between October 2019 and October 2020, the council responded to 1914 noise-related complaints made by residents.

According to the council's webpage regarding noise control, the council's designated noise control officers use their own judgement to determine what is considered "excessive noise" as described in the Resource Management Act.

If noise from a given property is deemed excessive, officers will serve the occupier of the property a 72-hour 'excessive noise direction,' instructing the occupier to reduce noise immediately.

If the direction is not followed, officers can then seize the equipment making the noise.

According to the figures, officers seized 46 items of audio equipment after excessive noise directions were not followed. The $160 required for the return of the equipment brought in $1120 in revenue for the council over the 2019/20 financial year.

Meanwhile, in the South Taranaki District, the council spent just over $42,000 on its noise control service, responding to 909 noise complaints between December 2019 and December 2020.

South Taranaki residents had only one item of equipment seized over the 12-month period.

In Ruapehu, the council's $78,000 noise control team responded to 424 complaints between October 2019 and October 2020, seizing five units of equipment, with only one of those units subsequently collected by its owner.