FAQs

Property owners in the Horizons region (and everywhere else in Aotearoa) currently pay rates in accordance with the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

Horizons is a completely separate organisation to your city/district council. City and district councils are responsible for community services in your area, such as road maintenance, libraries, recreation areas and land use.
 
Regional councils manage the natural resources, such as land, air and water, across several city and district council territories. We’re also responsible for emergency management, in conjunction with Civil Defence, and provide public transport services to many of our communities.
 
We’ve been sending out rates directly to ratepayers since 2002. Prior to this, Horizons rates were collected on our behalf by the city and district councils. We made the change to direct rating because we believe that you need to know more about how your money is spent.

Customers with more than five invoices can request to receive one invoice for all properties, which also means only one payment will need to be made.
 

If you need to change your address, you will need to let your local city or district council know. They will update this and it will feed back into our system on a weekly basis.
 
Horowhenua District Council           06 366 0999              enquiries@horowhenua.govt.nz
Manawatū District Council                06 323 0000              public@mdc.govt.nz
Palmerston North City Council         06 356 8199               info@pncc.govt.nz
Rangitīkei District Council                 0800 422 522            info@rangitikei.govt.nz
Ruapehu District Council                  07 895 8188               info@ruapehudc.govt.nz
Tararua District Council                     06 374 4080 (North) 06 376 0110 (South) info@tararuadc.govt.nz
Whanganui District Council              06 349 0001             yourcouncil@whanganui.govt.nz
 
If you’ve done this and our information has not been updated, then you can call us on 0508 800 800

If you’ve recently bought or sold the property, the required details may not have been forwarded to Horizons yet. When they do come through, we’ll issue you with a copy or a new rates invoice.

If you’ve changed your postal address and forgotten to tell us, please let us know. We’ll then issue you with a copy or a new rates invoice.

Horizons encompasses the Ruapehu, Rangitīkei, Whanganui, Manawatū, Palmerston North, Tararua and Horowhenua districts, and also some parts of the Taupō, Stratford and Waitomo districts.

Everyone who owns a property in the Horizons Region will get a rates invoice from Horizons.

Regional councils’ general rates may be made on either a land value or capital value basis. We were directed to use the capital value system by the Local Government (Manawatū-Whanganui Region) Reorganisation Order 1989, which established the Council. The Local Government Commission considered the different rating systems during the process of forming the Reorganisation Order and their decision was for the capital system.
 
Other councils in our area (and the rating system they use):
 

• Palmerston North City Council         Land Value/Capital Value (phased in from 1 July 2024)
• Manawatū District Council               Capital Value
• Whanganui District Council              Land Value
• Horowhenua District Council            Land Value
• Tararua District Council                    Land Value
• Ruapehu District Council                  Capital Value
• Rangitīkei District Council                Capital Value
• (Part) Waitomo District Council        Capital Value
• (Part) Taupō District Council            Capital Value
• (Part) Stratford District Council        Capital Value

Each year we get an equalisation certificate from Quotable Value that shows the value of all districts as at the last re-valuation date. This information is used to equally spread the rates allocated by capital value across the districts.
 

All properties in the region are re-valued on a three-yearly cycle. If your property has been re-valued this year, the value on which your property is rated will have changed. For example if your rates were previously calculated on a capital value of $300,000, however your property has been re-valued to $327,000, then your rates will have been calculated on the $327,000 this time.

We have many payment options available, including bill payment (via online banking), automatic payments, credit card, direct debit, or at the counter of one of our offices.

Further details can be found on our website, or on the back of your rates invoice. www.horizons.govt.nz/property-rates/ways-to-pay-your-rates

Automatic payments can be set up in two ways:
 

• Request a form from our customer services team, complete it and then pass it onto your bank to set up.
• Ring us on free phone 0508 700 800 to work out how much per chosen frequency you need to pay, and then set us up as a new automatic payment through your internet banking.

 
If payments aren’t made, or not enough is being paid to have completed the full invoice by the end of the current financial year (30 June), the remission of penalty will not be applied.

You can pay by direct debit in annual, quarterly, monthly or fortnightly payments. We can send you a direct debit form or you can download one directly from our website.   

 

Scan the QR code on your invoice and you’ll be taken directly to a credit card payment facility to pay your rates. Simply open your phone or tablet’s camera and tap on the link that appears on screen. Enter the appropriate details from your rates notice, ensuring that your valuation number is correct. Press continue and you’ll then be able to enter your credit card details to make the payment. Please note, bank fees may be applicable to online credit card payments.

There is a section on the top right of your invoice with a code and website link. The website link will take you to our provider’s website, where you can sign up to receive your rates notices electronically. Follow the web link and enter your email address as well as the code from your notice. Sending notices via email, rather than via hard copy in the post, helps us create a more sustainable future.

All properties in the region are revalued on a three-yearly cycle. QV revalued Rangitīkei, Ruapehu and Tararua properties in 2023 and if you live in these districts, it's likely the value on which your property is rated will have changed.

Horizons has a rating system that deals with most rises and falls in property values, and this works. However, in a few cases where property prices rise significantly more than other properties, your rates will go up. The Council has no say in this matter. Any concerns you have need to be taken up with Quotable Value (QV) – the government agency that sets the rateable value of your property.
 

Based on the work programmes planned for the year, an additional $6.9 million in rates revenue is required for Council to continue doing its core business. This equates to a 11.7 per cent total rate increase across the region for the 2024-25 financial year.

No. It’s important to note that the average rate increase does not mean the same for everyone’s rates. This variance is because parts of our region, Rangitīkei, Ruapehu and Tararua districts, have recently seen changes in property valuations. It’s also important to note that other areas in our region may see a rates decrease for this very same reason. Targeted rates for activities such as river management schemes and passenger transport services also mean your rates invoice may differ from your neighbour’s or those in neighbouring districts.

Each year, different parts of our region go through a revaluation process. As part of the equalisation process, which ensures that all house values in the region are based on the same valuation dataset, if you live in another part of the region you may experience a small decrease in your rates. This doesn’t mean our level of service has reduced for you.

Yes, councillors always consider affordability. However, they also recognised the Council’s need to continue doing its core business, while accommodating for increasing insurance and inflation costs.

While the prompt payment discount was introduced by Council with good intentions, it effectively rewards those ratepayers who can afford to pay in full by the due date at the expense of those who may struggle to pay their invoice from time to time.

If you’re having difficulty paying your rates, we may be able to enter into a payment arrangement with you. Please contact the Horizons rates team for all payment arrangement options. If your request for a payment arrangement is successful and the payments don’t default, then a remission of penalty can be applied. Please call us on 0508 700 800 for more information.

If your household is on a low income, you might be eligible for subsidised rates through the government's rates rebate scheme. If you meet the criteria, you can apply for the rebate through your local city or district council.

Payment arrangements can be made by emailing us at rates@horizons.govt.nz or giving our friendly Customer Services team a call on freephone 0508 700 800. Alternatively you can download and complete a direct debit form from our website and post it to us at the following address:
 
Horizons Regional Council
Private Bag 11025
Manawatū Mail Centre
Palmerston North 4442

 

If your household is on a low income, you might be eligible for subsidised rates through the government's rates rebate scheme. If you meet the criteria, you can apply for the rebate through your local city or district council.

Another option to avoid having to pay all at once, or incur late payment fees, is to set up a payment plan. Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss this option.

All property owners are required by law to pay their rates. The final day for payment for all rates is 27 September 2024. If rates are not paid in full, or a payment arrangement is not in place with Horizons, penalties will be charged on 4 October 2024. Please refer to the back of your rates invoice for more information.

Targeted rates are for a particular activity or project that benefits specific ratepayers, for example pest plant and pest animal control. These are also referred to as ‘biodiversity rates’.

Everyone pays a Transport Rate that goes towards land transport planning and road safety. Ratepayers who have public transport and Total Mobility services available in their area contribute to this through the targeted passenger services rate.

Having a bus service available gives people without private transport an option for travel. It also means fewer cars on the road and an environmentally friendly transport solution. It can be a cost-effective way of getting to and from town or work, or between towns.

A Scheme Rate varies according to the benefit received from stop banks, pump stations, drainage systems and other flood protection facilities. The higher the risk of flooding to your property, the higher the rate you pay as you receive greater benefit from the protection facilities. If you live further from a waterway, you still pay for the benefits of flood-protected roads, shops and services, but at a lower rate.

The LMS rating system was adopted in June 2009. Since the rate has been applied, there have been a few changes to ensure we’re rating those affected fairly. These changes include:
 

• All those rural houses that receive flood protection from the LMS but where the depth of inundation in a 100-year flood would be less than 50 mm have been exempted from the HF rate.
• The Feilding urban flood protection rating boundary has been modified to include an area immediately to the North of Feilding that is presently being developed as an extension to the urban area. By being shifted into the urban category, houses in that extension area will no longer pay the HF rate, but will now pay the lesser Feilding urban (FG) rate.
• The Palmerston North urban flood protection rating boundary has been modified to include an area to the West of the City between Longburn-Rongotea/Shiriffs Road and the Mangaone Stream and between No. 1 Line and the Manawatū River. That area is rapidly developing as an extension to the present City urban area. By being shifted into the urban category, houses in that developing area will no longer pay the HF rate but will now pay the lesser Palmerston North urban (PN) rate.

 
All other rural houses will continue to be rated in the HF category.

This is a fixed rate applied to ratepayers who benefit from a specific type of work. It is not assessed on capital value like the other general rate. Uniform annual charges per Separately Used or Inhabited Part (SUIP) of a rating unit throughout the region include:

• Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI) ($40.99)
• Environmental initiatives ($33.40)

A SUIP is a Separately Used or Inhabited Part of a rating unit and is only recognised when there is a unique valuation number for that part of the rating unit. A SUIP could be applied to a property more than once in a situation such as having multiple dwellings.

The UAGC funds a large range of activities that benefit every ratepayer equally. It is a fixed rate that is applied to every rateable property in the region. The UAGC in 2024-25 is set at $48.91 per SUIP.

Horizons has certain responsibilities mandated from Central Government. Council also actively consults with our communities through the Long-term and Annual Plan processes to ensure we represent the wishes of our ratepayers, and utilise ratepayers’ money in ways the community will benefit the most from.

Councillors’ contact information is available in the About section of our website.

In 2020 Central Government announced $26.9 million of climate resilience funding for Horizon. This goes toward four projects in:
 

• Foxton: enlargement and upgrades to drains, culverts and stopbanks along the eastern side of the town, and diverting floodwater away from Purcell Street and into the Whirokino network.
• Lower Manawatū: raising/rebuilding stopbanks, replacing the Kopane Bridge and constructing the Burke's Pump Station.
• Palmerston North: upgrades to current stopbanks and replacing aging assets, along with new work to enhance public access to the Manawatū River and Mangaone Stream.
• Rangitīkei: building resilience as it relates to the Rangitīkei River, specifically the reach from the Bulls Bridge to the sea.

 
Find out more in the Flood Protection section of the website.

A Long-term Plan sets the priorities for the next 10 years, as well as which rates are required each year to fund the activities proposed. This may include reviewing original proposals or adding new ones. You can read the latest Long-Term Plan here.

The management of freshwater remains a priority for Horizons, with a particular focus on implementing central government’s Essential Freshwater package. This package includes a revised National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM), new National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-FW), and Resource Management Act s360 regulations for stock exclusion.
 
For Horizons, this involves various rounds of engagement, and working with tangata whenua and other stakeholders, before notifying a change to the One Plan, our guide to managing natural resources in our region.  Notification was scheduled to happen in 2024. However, central government changes mean this is now due by the end of 2027. We decided at a full council meeting in April 2024 to postpone notification until late 2026/early 2027, but we will notify earlier if practicable.
 
We know central government is making changes to these regulations. However, these changes do not mean Horizons will not need to notify a change to the One Plan. Therefore, we still need to do this work.

You can learn more about this work here.
 

Our region’s problems with hill country erosion were sorely exposed during the February 2004 storm event. In response, representatives from our region’s communities and stakeholder organisations have joined together and formed the Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI), which seeks to implement whole farm plans specifically tailored to manage each area of highly erodible land. The aim is to help insure against having to recover from the effects of massive-scale hill erosion in the future. This assists in preventing the silting up of rivers downstream, helping to reduce flooding, and improving water quality.

Led by Horizons, the Manawatū River Leaders’ Accord brings together leaders from community, industry, interest groups, iwi and local government in their efforts to improve the state of the Manawatū River and its catchment. It enables groups to work in partnership with one another, sets clear goals and provides accountability around clean-up actions and activities. Horizons is committed to contributing $8.38 per separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit this year to this clean-up effort under the Manawatū River Leaders’ Accord. This is funded by ratepayers in the Manawatū Catchment. More information about this work can be found at www.manawaturiver.co.nz.

Tōtara Reserve is a regional park in the Manawatū District that sits in the foothills of the Ruahine Ranges in the Pohangina Valley. It is used by many people as a recreational area and is a valuable piece of native bush (and the only regional park) in the Horizons Region. We took over management from Manawatū District Council in 2012 and continue to enhance its forest and wildlife, and improve camping facilities, tracks and signage.

Accelerate25 is the implementation programme which has grown from the Central Government commissioned Regional Growth Study. The study identified a number of opportunities and key enablers to help realise our region’s economic potential. The aim of Accelerate25 is to grow our regional prosperity between now and 2025 and an Action Plan to unlock the opportunities. To find out more about Accelerate25 visit www.accelerate25.co.nz.

Passenger rail services, such as the Capital Connection, between the Horizons and Greater Wellington Regions is included in the transport passenger services.

Freshwater is a high priority for both central government, and our communities. The freshwater and partnership programme aims to protect and enhance water quality and aquatic habitat including through partnership with landowners, iwi and external agencies. Much of this work includes riparian planning and stream fencing, as well as repairs to fish passages.

It is owned by MWRC Holdings Ltd, which is owned by Horizons. Having investments allows Council to reduce our reliance on general rating revenues to fund our work programmes. Horizons’ Group has investments in shares, commercial property, and fixed-term cash. Horizons uses its 100 per cent-owned holding company MWRC Holdings Limited as a vehicle for managing several investments.

Old Man’s Beard has been identified as a particular problem by the local Rangitīkei community and as result a Differentiated Uniform Annual Charge of $37.66 has been applied to properties over four hectares in size and a $9.69 charge for those under four hectares.

We believe it’s important that you have a clear understanding of what your rates pay for and the benefits you receive, and we’ve had feedback that more communication is desired. Every council in the country does this and it’s part of our philosophy of being transparent about what we do. We encourage you to recycle this brochure if you don’t want to keep it for future reference.

We can send you a name suppression form to complete so we can remove your details. You can also download a copy of the suppression form. This suppression needs to be applied for each year. Please note that no names or postal addresses show in the rates search tool on our website.

Please email the communications team at communications@horizons.govt.nz and someone will be in touch shortly.