In the same way our taxes contribute to the running of the country, rates are important to ensure Wellington continues to function.

Some of the services and facilities that Wellingtonians receive through their rates include:

• 81 million litres of drinkable water piped per day
• 671 km of stormwater pipes maintained and upgraded
• 700km of footpaths maintained and upgraded
• 105 playgrounds maintained and upgraded
• 270,675 calls answered by our Contact Centre staff
• 1,048km of wastewater pipes maintained and upgraded
• 800,000 resources in City Archives.
• 95,000 native plants planted with the community
• 650,000 items can be borrowed from our 13 libraries
• 350km of walking and biking tracks maintained
• 195.1 sqm of open space per Wellingtonian
• 14,500 LED street lights operated

How do rates work?

Our rates revenue is split between targeted rates and general rates. The Council is planning to collect $342m (GST exclusive) of rates during 2020/21.

General rates are paid by all ratepayers and applied to services which benefit the whole community, for example, maintaining parks and walkways, operating our libraries, and renewing our roads and footpaths.

Targeted rates are paid by a specific group of ratepayers who receive a specific service – for example water, stormwater and wastewater services in rural areas, and business improvement districts (BIDs).

Whether you rent, own a home or a business in Wellington you’ll be contributing to Council rates either directly or indirectly.

Your money helps us deliver more than 400 day-to-day services and also pay for the borrowings used to fund big capital projects across Wellington.