About the Annual Plan | Mahere ā Tau 2025/26

In our Long-Term Plan we had planned $365.3 million of total expenditure in 2025/26, with $225.0 million funded by rates. This would have meant a total rates revenue increase of 15.5%.

We are now proposing $358.8 million of total expenditure in 2025/26, with $214.0 million funded by rates. This is now proposed to be a total rates revenue increase of 9.9%.

The difference is largely made up of work being deferred or not progressing in public transport. Other organisational savings, across multiple areas of work, make up the rest.

We are the regional council for Canterbury, known as Environment Canterbury/Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha. Our work is funded in the most part by the people of Canterbury.

As we set out in our Long-Term Plan, we’ve taken a different approach to the way we describe our work. We’ve defined it as the delivery of three core services. These are:

Find out more about our core services on our website.

This Annual Plan is our 2025/26 commitment to Cantabrians. It highlights the services that will help us contribute to the outcomes we all want to see for our region.

Every three years we put together a ten-year Long-Term Plan. For the other years, an Annual Plan outlines the activities and budget for the upcoming financial year.

The world we work in is constantly evolving and the work that we do, and how we do it, needs to evolve too. We’re focusing on the important services we deliver for Waitaha/Canterbury.

Our most recent Long-Term Plan highlighted these services, from setting the regulatory frameworks for the management of Canterbury’s environment, building and maintaining flood and river resilience, to providing bus and ferry services in Greater Christchurch and Timaru.

Our strategic priorities for the next decade are:

Our current Long-Term Plan 2024-34 was developed in the context of changing expectations from central government for both local and regional government.

The current coalition government is working through a number of significant legislative and policy reforms that will impact our role and function as regional government. This includes resource management, climate change adaptation, infrastructure and funding, transport and te tiriti/te ao Māori-related legislation.

Work to understand the implications of the changing legislative context on regional government is ongoing, including implications for funding and our ability to deliver the work outlined in our Long-Term Plan.

While inflationary pressures and interest rates are easing, economic conditions are challenging and cost pressures for the community and our organisation remain high.

Changing requirements and expectations from central government and the need to invest to address climate change and environmental challenges continue to put pressure on rates.

Changes from the Long-Term Plan 2024-34

In our draft Annual Plan, we’re proposing a work programme and budget that is largely based on Year 2 of the Long-Term Plan 2024–34, which was adopted in June 2024.

However, considering the changing central government landscape, we are proposing to make a few adjustments to address some of the changes that have arisen over the last year.

These changes are largely in our public transport core service.

We signalled these possible changes in our Long-Term Plan because at the time of adoption of the plan, June 2024, we were aware that changes were coming, but we did not yet have visibility of what they were and the potential impact on our services.