Council Profile Report

On Thursday 31 July 2025, the Government released Council Profiles for every council in the country. These Profiles are designed to help you easily compare councils on things like rates, debt, spending, and staffing. 

They’re a good starting point but they don’t tell the whole story, especially for fast-growing districts like ours. The numbers alone can’t show our local growth pressures, the impact of years of underinvestment, or the unique mix of rural and urban communities that make Waikato district special. 

That’s why alongside the national data, we share our own story through our Annual Reports, Long Term Plan, and Pre-Election Report. These show exactly how we’re tracking, where your rates go, what we’re investing in, and what challenges we need to tackle together. 

Waikato district is now home to over 92,500 people, making us one of the fastest-growing districts in New Zealand. More people means more demand for roads, pipes, community spaces and services. We’ve been investing to keep up, while managing debt carefully. 

Our AA+ credit rating means we manage our finances carefully so we can borrow at lower interest rates, which means more of your rates stay here, funding local projects and services instead of going to the bank paying interest.  

But like every council in New Zealand, we’ve felt the pressure of rising costs. Research shows that construction costs for things like roads, water pipes and other infrastructure went up by 27% between 2021 and 2024. That’s much higher than household inflation over the same period. Combined with an infrastructure shortfall across New Zealand, it means we’re all playing catch up. 

We know you expect us to stay focused on the basics like safe roads, clean water, reliable rubbish and recycling, and good value for money. That’s why we’re looking for improvements and efficiencies as an organisation, so we can keep delivering the core services and projects our growing communities need. 

Ngaa mihi, 
Craig Hobbs, Chief Executive