Less than half of eligible Grey electors voted in 2022. Photo: LDR / Greymouth Star/ Brendon McMahon
A Greymouth man who launched an online ratepayers' group this week says he has been inundated with calls from people wanting to join.
Kaiata resident Graeme Axford said there has been no ratepayers' association in the district for many years but he decided to test the waters after talking to a councillor about why so few people bothered to vote in council elections.
Just over 48 percent of eligible Grey electors voted in 2022.
"He reckoned it was because people were happy the council was doing a good job. But I know people who don't vote because they don't see anything worth voting for or they've lost hope that voting will change anything," Axford said.
Those people could at least send in a blank or crossed out ballot paper in protest, to let the council know how they felt, Axford suggested.
"Otherwise, the council can argue people don't care one way or the other."
Among those who had rung him about reviving a Ratepayers' Association were elderly people in tears over their rate bills, following the Grey District's 13 percent average increase, he said.
"There's quite a few taking out those reverse mortgages to cover the rates bill and living costs, and that's horrible for them, seeing their equity in their homes draining away and their sense of security."
Some people on low incomes were now paying $5000 in rates on a $350,000 house in Greymouth but still did not qualify for a rates rebate, Axford said.
The Government increased the full rebate this year to $805 and the income threshold to $45,000 for Super Gold cardholders with rate bills over $2000.
The income limit for others is $32,510.
That excluded many people who were struggling, Axford said.
"I know a solo mother who doesn't qualify because she's just under the rates threshold. All she's got is her benefit and some top-ups for caring for a disabled child."
Some low income households were paying $5000 in rates on a $350,000 house in Greymouth, Kaiata resident Graeme Axford says. Photo: Supplied/LDR
New property valuations in the Grey District were compounding the burden for renters as well as homeowners. renters, Axford said.
"I'm hearing from people that landlords are putting up their rents because the rates have gone up in line with the new CVs."
And the old trope of pensioners resorting to eating pet food was unfortunately true in some cases, he said.
"I've actually seen it in the supermarket -people buying pet mince and stuff for themselves. One lady I know said to me her dog used to eat better than she does these days."
Despite community distress over the rate increases, he was not in favour of bashing the council, Axford said.
"One of the fears I have with an online group is that it can turn toxic and so far so good, and as long as it stays that way, it'll stay up. "
He was also concerned that people had been going into council upset over the rates and taking it out on staff.
"I'm encouraging people not to do that. It's not the staff's fault. "
Councils were also stuck with funding cost increases and should be supported to demand relief and a better deal from central government, he said.
"I want the ratepayer group to be productive, to hold the council to account; give some transparency and also put things in plain language ...often bureaucratic responses don't make a lot of sense to the average person."
If the online group proved successful, then he and supporters would bring it into the real world and set up an association, Axford said.
Grey District mayor Tania Gibson Mayor this week acknowledged the pain some ratepayers were feeling.
"We know people are suffering out there - we all have parents and friends who are doing it tough."
When announcing its rates increase, the council said it was focusing on core services and planned to catch up on a $66 million backlog of work, from water to roading.
This included, in the coming nine years, $19.8 million to reduce flooding in low lying parts of central Greymouth.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
