Ratepayers Report 2026

The Taxpayers’ Union has released its 2026 Ratepayers Report. There’s a huge amount of data there.

The ten highest average residential rates are:

1. Porirua $5,591
2. Wellington $5,094
3. Queenstown Lakes $4,848
4. Carterton $4,771
5. Nelson $4,650
6. Tauranga $4,534
7. Whakatane $4,508
8. South Wairarapa $4,494
9. Waikato $4,410
10. Horowhenua $4,402

These stand in contrast to Upper Hutt at $3,393.

For non-residential ratepayers, the top five are:

1. Wellington $53,258
2. Kawerau $46,352
3. Hamilton $23,216
4. Tauranga $22,176
5. Greater Wellington $21,830

So the average commercial ratepayer in Wellington pays $53k to WCC and $22k to GWRC, for a Toal of $75k. And we wonder why so many businesses are closing in Wellington!