Christchurch ratepayers have been warned they will face further pressure after the Council proposed an average rates increase of 7.4 percent for the average household, equivalent to $6.05 a week.

The proposed increase formed part of the council’s Draft Annual Plan.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Josh Van Veen said the delay to a rates cap would continue to hurt households.

“Delaying the rates cap will cost ratepayers across the country, and Christchurch is no exception. Rates need capping now, not three years down the road,” Van Veen said.

He said Christchurch households were already under pressure, with further increases on top of sharp rises in recent years.

“Christchurch households are paying the price for the Government’s dilly dallying. Another 8 percent rates hike is planned this year, on top of a staggering 24 percent increase over the past three years,” he said.

“With Local Government Minister Simon Watts postponing action until 2029, councils have every incentive to load costs onto ratepayers now and lock in a higher baseline. That doesn’t just mean higher rates this year. It means higher rates every year from here on out,” he said.

Under the Draft Annual Plan, the council proposed an overall average rates increase across all property types of 7.96 percent. Rates for business properties were proposed to rise by 8.7 percent, while remote rural properties would face an average increase of 8.0 percent.

The plan also proposed $598.9 million of investment into council infrastructure and facilities, alongside $770.5 million to deliver day to day council services. Borrowing of $314.4 million was proposed for the capital programme, which the council said was $37.9 million lower than planned in the Long Term Plan.

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger said “We’re proposing all this at the same time as our regular rates revaluation, which we use to determine what share each property contributes to the overall rates.”

“This latest revaluation reflects property market values as at 1 August 2025, and shows a relatively small average increase across the whole district of 3.5 percent since 2022, but with some significant differences between types of property.

The new property values will be available towards the end of February,” he said.