Find out how your rates bill has changed this year.
In 2025/2026, the Council set rates to collect $825.7 million (excluding GST).
This year, rates rose on average 6.60% for existing ratepayers, excluding the forecast remitted portion of the new City Vacant general rate differential, since those remissions are returned directly to the ratepayers who paid the rates.
A typical ratepayer owning an average-sized house, with a rating value of $830,000, will pay $81 per week in rates, including GST.
The actual increase in rates for individual properties varies depending on factors such as:
- A property’s rating value.
- Whether it is classed as residential, business, remote rural or city vacant.
- How many 'separately used or inhabited parts' (SUIPs) the property has. Fixed rates are paid based on the number of SUIPs. For example, a property with two flats will pay two fixed charges. Most residential properties have only one SUIP.
- The extent to which the property’s capital value has increased in the 2022 revaluation relative to other properties.
The rates for 2025/2026 are shown in the table below. There are 16 separate rates. A ratepayer typically pays some but not all of these. The rules for each rate are set out in the Council's Funding Impact Statement. As an illustration, we have shown the amount that would typically be paid for each rate for an average house with a capital value (CV) of $830,000.
Please note: We also collect rates on behalf of Environment Canterbury(external link), which sets its own rates. They are not included in these figures but will appear on your rates invoice.
| Rate name | Rate | Units | Rate paid for an average house ($, incl GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Rate: Standard | 0.255954 | cents per $ CV | 2,124.42 |
| General Rate: Business | 0.568219 | cents per $ CV | 0 |
| General Rate: Remote Rural | 0.191966 | cents per $ CV | 0 |
| General Rate: City Vacant | 1.157681 | cents per $ CV | 0 |
| Uniform Annual General Charge | 193.00 | $ per SUIP* | 193.00 |
| Water Connected | 0.073615 | cents per $ CV | 611.00 |
| Water not Connected | 0.036808 | cents per $ CV | 0 |
| Land Drainage | 0.045076 | cents per $ CV | 374.13 |
| Sewerage | 0.088055 | cents per $ CV | 730.86 |
| Waste Minimisation | 176.13 | $ per SUIP* | 176.13 |
| Waste Minimisation (Part) | 132.10 | $ per SUIP* | 0 |
| Restricted Water Supply | 406.00 | $ per SLOS** | 0 |
| Fire Connections | 135.00 | $ per connection | 0 |
| Active Travel | 20.00 | $ per SUIP* | 20.00 |
| Central City Business Association | 575.00 | $ per rating unit | 0 |
| Heritage (Arts Centre) | 0.000277 | cents per $ CV | 2.30 |
| Total | 4,231.84 |
* SUIP: This means a Separately Used or Inhabited Part of a rating unit.
**SLOS: The restricted water supply rate paid for each Standard Level of Service (SLOS) received by a rating unit.
Examples
We show below some examples of how rates vary depending on capital values. Examples are shown for three kinds of property: a standard, business and remote rural property.
Please note: We also collect rates on behalf of Environment Canterbury(external link), which sets its own rates. They are not included in these figures but will appear on your rates invoice.
Standard
We assume this ratepayer pays the following rates: General Standard, Uniform Annual General Charge, Water Connected, Land Drainage, Sewerage, Waste Minimisation, Active Travel and Heritage (Arts Centre).
| Capital value $ | 2025/2026 rates ($, incl GST) |
|---|---|
| 200,000 | 1,315 |
| 400,000 | 2,241 |
| 500,000 | 2,704 |
| 600,000 | 3,167 |
| 700,000 | 3,630 |
| 800,000 | 4,093 |
| 1,000,000 | 5,019 |
| 1,500,000 | 7,334 |
| 2,000,000 | 9,649 |
Business
We assume this ratepayer pays the following rates: General Business, Uniform Annual General Charge, Water Connected, Land Drainage, Sewerage, Waste Minimisation, Active Travel and Heritage (Arts Centre).
| Capital value $ | 2025/2026 rates ($ incl GST) |
|---|---|
| 200,000 | 1,940 |
| 500,000 | 4,265 |
| 1,000,000 | 8,142 |
| 1,500,000 | 12,018 |
| 2,000,000 | 15,894 |
| 2,490,000 (average business) | 19,693 |
| 2,500,000 | 19,770 |
| 3,000,000 | 23,646 |
| 5,000,000 | 39,151 |
Remote rural
We assume this ratepayer pays the following rates: General Remote Rural, Uniform Annual General Charge, Land Drainage, Waste Minimisation (Part), Active Travel and Heritage (Arts Centre).
| Capital value $ | 2025/2026 rates ($, incl GST) |
|---|---|
| 200,000 | 730 |
| 500,000 | 1,306 |
| 800,000 | 1,883 |
| 1,000,000 | 2,268 |
| 1,910,000 (average rural) | 4,017 |
| 2,000,000 | 4,190 |
| 3,000,000 | 6,112 |
| 5,000,000 | 9,957 |