Councillors adopted the annual plan budget for 2025-26 on 30 June 2025, with an average rates increase of 8.61%, reduced from the 10.62% forecast in the Long Term Plan.

Many thanks to the 89 people and organisations who provided feedback via the new streamlined engagement process. Your ideas covered many topics including community facilities, parks and open spaces, regional development, animal control and roads.

Councillors referred some ideas to the Long Term Plan Working Group for further consideration and confirmed a $40k annual museum operating grant to the Marlborough Historical Society. Councillors supported three small levels of service requests, including replacing the air conditioning system at the Marlborough Events Centre.

A record of the councillors’ discussion can be found in the Economic, Finance and Community Committee minutes of 18 March 2025 on Council’s website.

Council’s core spending remains strongly focussed on infrastructure, including roading, flood protection, waste management, water supply and community facilities. Roading and footpaths are the biggest item with $64M allocated this year for improvements and renewals. Included in this figure is $29M to repair and rebuild the storm-damaged Sounds roading network.

$31M is allocated to three waters infrastructure and $16M will go to flood protection and community facilites.

Council’s capital expenditure budget increased to $119M, including the Sounds roads recovery. As a result, projected debt is $154M at the end of June 2026, as opposed to $190M forecast in the Long Term Plan last year.