Auckland Council’s Annual Plan 2025/2026 consultation will get underway in February 2025.
The Annual Plan 2025/2026 is focused on delivering the second year of the Long-term Plan 2024-2034 and focuses on getting on with strengthening the financial and physical resilience of Auckland, while investing where it is needed most to manage growth.
In 2025/2026 that includes prioritising investment in transport, water and fair funding for local communities.
The Annual Plan 2025-2026 builds on great progress already made in year one of the Long-term Plan. Highlights to date include establishing the Auckland Future Fund, introducing a $50 cap on public transport, and progress with savings targets.
The Annual Plan 2025/2026 consultation gets underway on 28 February 2025. It will ask communities for feedback on funding major events and destination marketing, and local board priorities.
The plan includes an overall rates rise of 5.8 per cent for the average value residential property in 2025/2026, as set-out in the Long-term Plan. It also includes changes to our council-controlled organisations (CCO), as outlined in the Mayoral Proposal recently considered by Governing Body.
What is being consulted on?
Funding major events and destination marketing
Developing our economy, attracting visitors and promoting major events is vital to Auckland being a dynamic and exciting city.
The council’s Long-term Plan 2024-2034 signalled that cultural festivals, like Diwali, would continue to be funded but, without additional funding, there is a $7 million shortfall to fund major events, such as the Auckland Marathon, from the 2025/2026 financial year.
To help cover the shortfall in funding, the council would like a bed night visitor levy. This levy is a fee that would be charged via accommodation providers.
The levy requires government legislation and, while consulting on the Annual Plan, the council continues to discuss it with central government. The council proposes to continue working with central government to enable a regional levy of 2.5 to 3 per cent on short-stay accommodation revenue.
This would raise around $27 million and enable a full destination marketing and major events programme, including ongoing national sport content and major one-off international events (e.g. World Rally Championship, National Rugby League content).
This Annual Plan will consult (in principle) on a bed night visitor levy (subject to necessary central government legislation). It will also outline the other options, which include not funding extra major events and extra funding from general rates.
Local board agreements
Local boards provide services like local parks, libraries, pools, recreation centres, community halls, local environmental activities, local arts activities, supporting community groups and community events that support strong Auckland communities.
A fairer funding approach will be introduced in the Annual Plan 2025/2026 to enable local boards to better respond to the needs of their communities, by addressing funding imbalances between the 21 local boards.
Each local board puts forward a plan for the 2025/2026 year – setting out priorities for their local community and where funds will be invested. Each local board’s plan for the year is included in the Annual Plan.
Tūpuna Maunga Authority
The Tūpuna Maunga Authority governs the 14 Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. Each year, the Tūpuna Maunga Authority and Auckland Council prepare an Annual Operational Plan and a summary included the council’s Annual Plan.
For more information, see the Mayoral Proposal recently considered by Governing Body.
