Half of ratepayers received wrong rates bills from West Coast Regional Council
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
About half of West Coast Regional Council rates bills were incorrectly charged.
The council on Wednesday announced PricewaterhouseCooper has completed an external review into the first installment rates mess.
The review found "outdated" capital valuation figures were behind significant inaccuracies in about 50% - about 11,000 - of the bills sent by council early this month to its 22,000 property rating base.
Chief executive Darryl Lew again apologised on behalf of council for the mess.
It follows ratepayers being shocked at opening their bills early this month to find increases of anywhere up to 100%.
The council passed a general rates rise of 16.4% in June.
Lew said he would initiate a further audit to determine what went wrong and to ensure it did not happen again.
Almost all of the main towns on the West Coast were affected, apart from Reefton.
The capital values used to calculate the factors in the rates strike for each special rating district had been based on "outdated capital value figures", Lew said.
The largest variations were found in Greymouth, Punakaiki, Westport, Karamea, Hokitika, Red Jacks (Grey Valley) and Wanganui (Hari Hari) special rating districts.
"The review also found rates variations in the Grey Rating District have resulted from the Grey Floodwall Rating District Boundary extension and the capital value of property within this area."
PricewaterhouseCooper identified the "underlying variations" that affected a number of rates notices, Lew said.
"I am now initiating an audit to determine what went wrong in council's procedures to ensure future controls are put in place that will prevent this happening again."
On October 20, the council announced a further extension of the 2023-24 first rates installment due date, to Thursday November 30.
The council had also now reviewed the levies for the affected areas with the correct capital valuations and would be raising "credit notes" for each of the properties concerned.
Lew apologised for the inconvenience of the resulting "rates corrections".
He urged those unsure if their property had been rated correctly to contact the council office.
Those who had already paid their rates for the year in full could ask council for a refund.
Lew said the council would ensure staff efficiently created rates credit notes.
"Ratepayers in the affected areas will receive a letter in due course stating what they have been charged for the first rates demand, a breakdown of their current rating assessment and advice on the correct amount to pay."
The second rates demand would only charge the difference between the first and second rates installment and would therefore be a lower amount to pay.
Lew said repayment plan options were also available for those affected by variations, due to the wrong capital value being used in the first place.
A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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