At Central Hawke's Bay District Council, we are responsible for a wide range of local services including roads, managing water/wai, sewerage and refuse collection, libraries, parks, recreation services, local regulations, community and economic development, and town planning.

Every community needs these services to function well - and rates is the tax that property owners pay to their local government for maintaining and managing the infrastructure and services.

Paying rates means Central Hawke's Bay households have access to clean drinking water, safe roads to drive on, their rubbish is collected, and they have access to parks, gardens and beaches. It means that we can have regulations that protect our land and our environment, for example ensuring building something new doesn't create a fire hazard.

Rates are the main way council pays for the work we do within our community, they are a type of tax on your property, they are primarily based on your property's capital value and land use.

Wherever possible, the council gets funding from other places, like funding from Waka Kotahi to help pay for road repairs.

Help with paying your rates - Rates Rebate

New Zealand is currently in a recession and the cost of living has been rising rapidly in the last two years. This can make it hard for people to pay their bills, including their rates.

A rates rebate is a partial discount on a rates bill — you pay less for your rates.

If you own your home and are on a low income, you may be eligible for a rates rebate.

Whether you’re eligible and how much you get depends on, for example:

• the total amount of rates you pay
• how many dependants live with you
• your total household income before tax
• the ownership of your property
• your living situation.

The council is running a series of Rate Rebate Clinics to help you work out if you can apply for a rebate.

All residential ratepayers on low incomes may be eligible for a rates rebate. This is managed by the Department of Internal Affairs. Central Hawke's Bay District Council assess and approve the applications on their behalf.

Rebates must be applied for annually - they don't 'roll over' to the next year. So even if you had a rebate last year, you will need to apply again this year.

We are running a series of rates rebate clinics between July - August 2024 to help people find out if they are eligible and to help people make an application.

The clinics we aim to:

• help you fill in the form correctly
• answer any questions about the form, eligibility for a rate rebate, or the process to apply
• explain what happens when you get a rate rebate, how it affects your rates in general, and how it affects any direct debit set up

If your application is successful, you will get a rebate.

We will:

• tell you how much your rebate is
• deduct this amount off your rates bill, or
• contact you about your rebate if you’ve already paid your rates in full.

The maximum rebate you can get is $790. You may be eligible for all or only part of this amount.

How much you get depends on what you’re entitled to. We will work this out when we assess your application.

To Check what your entitlement may be, use the online rates rebate calculator: www.govt.nz/rates-rebates-calculator

A Rates Rebate application form is available online here or from The Knowledge and Learning Hub - Te Huinga Wai (Bogle Brothers Esplanade, Waipukurau), Waipawa Library and the Council office in Waipawa. To find out if you qualify, call the Rates team on 06 857 7738 and they will be able to tell you if you are eligible. The rebate will be credited to your rates account.

When applying for a Rates Rebate you will need the following information:

• Your District rates notice (Hawke's Bay Regional Council rates may also be included)
• Details of your income (before tax) for the previous tax year
• Proof of you partner/joint homeowner's income if he/she lives with you

More information on the Rates Rebate scheme is available here