Te Poari ā-Rohe o Whau

Whau Local Board

Illustration of an adult and a child fishing on a jetty. A bird is sitting on flax and two shorebirds stand on the sand and in a shallow tidal pool. In the background, a car is driving on a bridge above the water.

Our funding for 2026/2027

We have been allocated $39.1 million for capital investment and $23.8 million for operational spend for 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 $23.8 million for operational spend in 2026/2027 includes:

  • $21 million for community services
  • $400,000 for environmental services
  • $1.1 million for planning services
  • $1.2 million for governance (how we manage our local board area).

These figures are rounded to the nearest $100,000.

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

Extra funding for 2026/2027

The $23.8 million for operational spend includes extra funding for 2026/2027. However, a lot of this will help cover growing costs to provide our existing services. This includes increases in costs for:

  • utilities like water and electricity
  • maintaining community facilities like sport centres and libraries, and open spaces like parks and reserves
  • staffing.

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

Once we cover these costs, we will still have $300,000 more for operating spend in 2026/2027 compared to what we had in 2025/2026.

What we plan to deliver in 2026/2027

In 2026/2027, we plan to:

  • continue providing the local services, projects and programmes that are important to our community
  • invest more in key areas and make changes to service fees and charges. This includes to:
    • design and build a new playground at Avondale Central Reserve
    • promote community identity and diversity by:
    • work with young people to co-design projects that help meet their needs in the community.
    • work with volunteers, local schools, community organisations and local boards to improve the water quality and flood resilience of streams and rivers in Whau
    • support projects in the Whau Sport and Recreation Facilities Plan and build community partnerships to provide a network of local facilities
    • develop a Local Parks Management Plan to guide how we manage, develop and protect the 146 parks, reserves and open spaces in Whau.

Key projects planned for 2026/2027

In 2026/2027, we also plan to:

  • finish building Te Hono, the new library and community centre in Avondale and prepare it for community use
  • continue to plan, design and find suitable land for a new pool and recreation facility
  • plan and design a local park alongside the new stormwater pond at the old Crown Lynn Pottery site
  • plan better for emergencies across Whau homes, community hubs and other community spaces
  • continue work on Whau heritage projects including:
    • renew existing pou (carved posts) and install signage that explains the story, cultural significance and background behind them
    • install signage and pou along the historic portage route that links the Waitematā and Manukau harbours.

Have your say

We want to know what you think about our plans for the Whau 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 92-95 of the Annual Plan 2026/2027 Supporting Information Document for more details about our proposals for the Whau Local Board area.

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