Mayor's column – A new term
Published on 09 December 2025
A fortnightly column by Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper.
With the formalities behind Whangārei District’s newly elected Council, the real work begins. Elected members are stepping into their roles and are focused on delivering the outcomes voters expect.
Rates affordability
With the 2026-27 annual budget looming, we’ve turned our attention to one of the key election issues – rates affordability.
It’s widely acknowledged by all elected members that we need to address the financial constraints our community faces. It’s been a challenging few years and, while there are signs of recovery, we’ve committed to acting now to ease pressure on households and businesses.
At our November 2025 Council meeting, we approved an independent external financial review. This is a key priority of mine, which is shared by the elected members.
Starting this month, the review will support the 2026-27 annual budget process, as well as informing the next 10-year plan (2027-37), taking a line-by-line look at expenditure and identifying opportunities for savings. This has happened at pace, and I thank our Finance Committee Chair, Councillor Paul Yovich, for driving this.
Local government reforms
The financial review coincides with the Government’s decision to introduce a rates cap by 2029.
We support Central Government’s focus on ensuring ratepayers are getting good value for money and are currently considering the implications for the District before providing feedback via the submission process early in 2026.
The wider local government reforms were a key focus at meetings with our neighbouring Northland councils last week. The priority for all of us is to ensure any changes deliver genuine benefits for our communities and our region.
I welcome the opportunity to explore further efficiencies across the sector, and we’re looking forward to working together on this over the coming year.
Revitalising the city centre
Council has also just approved the creation of a Mayoral Taskforce for City Centre Revitalisation.
The taskforce has two objectives:
- to support economic revitalisation
- to make the city centre a safe, welcoming place.
Whangārei’s city centre faces challenges that affect us all, such as economic pressures on small businesses, social issues, safety concerns, infrastructure gaps, and long-term flooding risks. These are complex problems that no single organisation can solve alone.
We are committed to leading a collaborative approach. By bringing together businesses, community organisations, and existing city groups, we aim to tackle immediate concerns while planning for the future.
The appointed elected members – myself, Deputy Mayor Scott McKenzie and Councillors Christie, Flower and Olsen – will work to establish a core group of stakeholders, with the aim to be up and running for 2026.
Whangārei thrives when we work together. These steps mark the beginning of a term focused on partnership, progress, and practical solutions.
I’m confident that, with the support of our community, we can deliver outcomes that make a real difference for our District.
Free carparking in the city centre
Don’t forget that free carparking is available on the rooftop of the Central City Carpark for the month of December 2025.
Come into town and support our businesses by shopping local this Christmas.