Changes to rates, fees and charges

Your rates pay for a wide range of day-to-day services and support investment in Auckland’s infrastructure.

About 40 per cent of the revenue the council needs to fund the annual plan comes from rates. The rest comes from fees, charges and grants like central government funding for transport projects.

Rates increase for residential properties

For 2026/2027, we propose a rates increase of 7.9 per cent for the average-value residential property in Auckland. This is around:

• $320 a year, or
• $6.16 a week.

The proposed changes to rates include:

• a 2.2 per cent decrease to the overall waste management rate for standard rubbish, recycling and food scraps services
• an average general rates increase of 9.53 per cent for existing ratepayers
• an average increase of 3.5 per cent, or $2.55 a year to the Natural Environment Targeted Rate (NETR) and Climate Action Transport Targeted Rate (CATTR) for existing ratepayers
• an average increase of 22 per cent, or $2.55 a year to the Water Quality Targeted Rate (WQTR) for the average-value residential property.

General rates

General rates are based on the capital value (CV) of a property and fund a range of services available to all Aucklanders including libraries, pools and parks, roads and footpaths, stormwater services and public transport.

The increase in general rates is mainly due to the $235 million it costs us each year to run and own City Rail Link (CRL). The CRL will provide transport, economic and environmental benefits to Auckland.

Overall rates

The overall rates increase is higher than we would like. However, our focus on saving money and running the Auckland Council Group efficiently has helped keep it lower than it could have been.

Rates increase for business properties

For 2026/2027, we propose a rates increase of 9.84 per cent for the average-value business property. This is:

• $44.44 a week, or
• $2,206.65 a year.

The Long-term Plan 2024-2034 set out that business properties should pay 31 per cent of general rates, WQTR, NETR and CATTR.

Since then, the value of business properties has grown less than the value of residential properties. To keep their share at 31 per cent, we have increased rates for the average-value business property to 9.84 per cent which is more than we planned for in the LTP.

General and targeted rates explained

Visit How your property rates bill is made up to find out what each type of rate is and what it pays for.

Average-value property rates calculations

We calculate rates increases for average-value properties in residential and business categories based on average property values.

Our proposed rates for 2026/2027 might change as property data is updated during the rest of the 2025/2026 financial year. This might happen if any remaining objections to property revaluations are resolved and change the value of a property. This might affect the share of rates charged to other properties.

Average-value residential properties

For 2026/2027, we propose to increase rates by $223 for average-value ($1,416,000) residential properties.

This means the total rates for an average-value residential property in 2026/2027 will be $4068.06.

Average-value business properties

For 2026/2027, we propose to increase rates by $1408 for average-value ($3,777,500) business properties.

This means the total rates for an average-value business property in 2026/2027 will be $22,123.78.

Breakdown of rates changes

These figures show how we expect rates to change for average-value residential and business properties.

Proposed changes to rates	Average-value residential properties	Average-value business properties
Increase to general rates	$323.48	$2171.91
Decrease in the waste management minimum base service rate	-$3.71	-$3.71
Decrease in the waste management standard recycling rate	-$6.31	-$6.31
Increase to the waste management standard refuse rate	$7.27	Does not apply
Decrease in the Waste Management Food Scraps rate	-$6.89	Does not apply
Increase to the Climate Action Transport Targeted Rate	$2.31	$17.10
Increase to the Natural Environment Targeted Rate	$1.46	$11.07
Increase to the Water Quality Targeted Rate	$2.55	$16.59
Total annual change	$320.16	$2206.65

Check proposed rates for your property

Visit Proposed changes to your property rates 2026/2027 to check the proposed changes for your property.

Changes to area-specific targeted rates

Rodney Drainage District Targeted Rate

We propose to reduce the Rodney Drainage District Targeted Rate for Te Arai Drainage District by 50 per cent, at the request of Te Arai Drainage Board Incorporated (TADBI).

Onehunga Business Improvement (BID) Targeted Rate

The Onehunga Business Association proposes to:

• reduce the area covered by the Onehunga BID
• change the targeted rate amount for 2026/2027.

We will change the Onehunga BID Targeted Rate in your rates bill from 2026/2027 if the proposed changes are adopted.

Kingsland Business Improvement (BID) Targeted Rate

The Kingsland Business Association proposes to:

• increase the area covered by the Kingsland BID
• change the targeted rate amount for 2026/2027.

We will change the Kingsland BID Targeted Rate in your rates bill from 2026/2027 if the expansion is adopted.

Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Services Targeted Rate

We propose a targeted rate of $47.11 a year (GST inclusive) for every separately used or inhabited part of a property (SUIP). This rate applies to all rateable land in the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board area, except for land that is classed as 'zero-rated'. The rate will help fund $1.05 million of local services and activities in the area.

Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Services Targeted Rate

We propose a targeted rate of $27.14 a year for the average-value residential property. This rate applies to all rateable land in the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board area. It will fund $1.1 million of local services and activities in the area.

Future of the Waitākere Rural Sewerage Scheme and associated targeted rate

Around 3300 properties in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area pay an annual targeted rate for council septic tank 'pump-outs'. These happen once every three years under the Waitākere Rural Sewerage Scheme.

The scheme aimed to reduce the risk of septic tanks contaminating waterways. This can now be done more effectively through the Safe Septic Programme.

We want your feedback on two options for the future of the scheme:

• end the Waitākere Rural Sewerage Scheme and its targeted rate on 30 June 2027, when the current contract ends. Property owners can then arrange private pump-outs, likely at a lower cost
• keep the scheme and the targeted rate. This would mean a higher targeted rate from 2027/2028 onwards. The estimated cost is between $430 and $520 each year due to higher Watercare disposal and operating costs. If the scheme continues, we will consult on the final charge as part of Long-term Plan 2027–2037.

Changes to fees and charges

In addition to most fees and charges that we are changing in line with inflation, we also propose to:

• introduce a service fee to change how we collect your rubbish. This would apply to Aucklanders who live in certain rural and lifestyle properties, or properties that are hard to access who change:
  • from using a rubbish bin to a pack of rubbish bags
  • the size of their rubbish bags
• change fees for residential parking permits operated by Auckland Transport
• increase fees for some pool and leisure facilities
• increase hourly rates for some regulatory services.

Have your say

We want to know what you think about our proposed changes to rates, charges and fees.

You should know

The information on this page is an edited version of the Annual Plan 2026/2027 Consultation Document.

Visit Annual plan documents, videos and translations for more information about our plans and proposals in the:

• Annual Plan 2026/2027 Consultation Document
• Annual Plan 2026/2027 Supporting Information Document.