Te Poari ā-Rohe o Ōtara-Papatoetoe

Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board

An illustration of an outdoor market with people sorting and carrying crates of fruit and vegetables under blue canopies. Other people are unloading produce from a truck. In the background, two buses are parked at the Manukau Bus Station building.


Our funding for 2026/2027

We have been allocated $8.2 million for capital investment and $27 million for operational spend in 2026/2027.

Capital investment

We use these funds to renew and develop assets like:

  • community facilities
  • parks and sports fields.

Operating spend

We use these funds to run our services like:

  • community centres
  • libraries and parks
  • community and environmental programmes and events.

The $27 million for operational spend in 2026/2027 includes:

  • $24.4 million for community services
  • $4 million for environmental services
  • $1 million for planning services
  • $1.3 million for governance (how we manage our local board area).

A lot of our operating budget will pay for existing contracts to maintain community facilities and open spaces.

Cost increases

We are also facing cost increases that will affect our operating budget. These include:

  • rising costs to provide our existing services, including utilities like electricity and water
  • maintaining our assets like community centres, libraries and parks
  • staff costs.

At the same time, we are making less revenue than expected from fees and charges.

In 2026/2027, we expect to spend $1.1 million more to continue providing these services than we did in 2025/2026. This amount might change before the final annual plan is adopted.

Changes to current service levels, fees and charges

To address the cost increases we are facing, we could make some or all of the following changes to service levels:

  • stop scheduled maintenance for bollard and ‘post-and-rail’ fencing
  • stop scheduled maintenance for bush areas except in high-value or ecologically important areas
  • stop extra planting and mulching in public gardens
  • reduce levels of maintenance for planted and natural bush areas in urban settings.
  • use chemicals instead of garden edging materials to separate grass and soil from footpaths and berms (grassy strip beside the road)
  • reduce discretionary funding (funding that a local board can choose to give to community groups or projects, based on local priorities and available budget) for:
    • community grants
    • community and environment management projects
  • increase entry fees by $1 for 'Adult Plus Only' spa, sauna and steam room services at at Ōtara Pool and Leisure Centre and Papatoetoe Centennial Pool (PCP)
  • reduce library hours:
    • Ōtara Library – reduce opening hours by 4 hours a week
    • Papatoetoe Library - reduce opening hours by 2 hours a week
    • Tupu Youth Library - reduce opening hours by 5 hours a week
    • Manukau Library – close on Sundays to reduce to a 6-day service.

Other ways we could address cost increases

Leisure centre charges

We could charge adult visitors from outside the local board area to swim at Ōtara Pool and Leisure Centre and Papatoetoe Centennial Pool (PCP) (currently a free service). While this would not cover cost increases, it would reduce our targeted rates for swimming pools.

Local Services Targeted Rate

We could also introduce a total Local Services Targeted Rate of $1.1 million. This would be about $27 a year for the average-value urban residential property in the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board area.

Unlike most other targeted rates that must be spent on a specific service, this rate can be used for any local board operating costs. This means we can keep providing the local services, projects and programmes that matter to our community.

If we do propose this targeted rate, the Governing Body would decide if we would introduce it or not.

Combination of rates, charges and fees

To help fund higher costs to provide our services, we could also introduce a combination of:

  • a lower targeted rate to deliver existing services
  • changes to some current service levels
  • an increase to some fees and charges.

Have your say

We want to know what you think about our plans for the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board area.

Have your say now

You should know

The information on this page is an edited version of the:

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

You can refer to pages 57-61 of the Annual Plan 2026/2027 Supporting Information Document for more details about our proposals for the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board area.

Visit Annual plan documents, videos and translations to read all annual plan documents in full.