Taxpayers' Union Launches 2025 Ratepayers' Report for Gisborne Council 

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union has today published the 2025 edition of the Ratepayers' Report, available at RatepayersReport.nz. 

Taxpayers' Union spokesperson, Sam Warren, said: 
 
“The Ratepayers’ Report allows Kiwis to easily compare their local council’s performance and financial position for 2023/24 against others. The report provides transparency for ratepayers, especially important this year as we head into the local government elections.” 

“Gisborne ratepayers are under real pressure, with their Council running the largest per-household expenditure in the country, at $12,103. Staffing costs are also striking, with 160 employees paid more than $100,000, equating to about 40 percent of all staff despite Gisborne’s modest population. 

“On top of that, average residential rates of $3,374 may look mid-range nationally, but in a region whose average income is in the bottom third of the country, they bite particularly hard.” 

“Ratepayers can compare their councils for themselves at RatepayersReport.nz.”