Consultation on proposed changes to Fees and Charges set to close

Time is running out for the public to have its say on proposed changes to the Invercargill City Council’s 2026/2027 Fees and Charges schedule.

Public consultation on the schedule – which determines the costs associated with using services within the community, from buses to building control, Splash Palace entry to venue hire – opened on March 25.

Submissions are set to close at 5pm on Friday, 24 April.

Mayor Tom Campbell said already more than 150 people had made a submission.

“The feedback of the community has a very real effect on the direction we take around the Council table,” he said.

“The voices of the people of Invercargill and Bluff genuinely shape the decisions we make, and these decisions have a tangible impact on daily life in our community.

“If you’ve got opinions, thoughts, or feelings about the proposed changes we are making and you have been meaning to make a submission, the clock is ticking. Time is almost up – don’t miss your chance to make your voice count.”

Council reviewed its Fees and Charges schedule every year.

Council’s Acting Chief Executive Trudie Hurst said for 2026/2027, most of its fees were proposed to increase by between 5 and 15 percent to account for rising service delivery costs – including inflation and corporate overheads to support services within the community.

“The changes have been proposed to better align with the true costs of delivering Council services throughout the Invercargill and Bluff communities,” she said.

Among the changes proposed for the upcoming financial year were a 10 percent increase in fees at Splash Palace, bus fees increases between 10 and 14 percent, and solid waste fee increases between 10 and 18 percent.

Submissions on the proposed fees and charges schedule could be made in-person at Splash Palace, Invercargill Public Library, the Bluff Service Centre, and Te Hīnaki – Civic Building.

Further information and online submissions could also be made at letstalk.icc.govt.nz

Council was scheduled to adopt its 2026/2027 Fees and Charges schedule in June.