​Proposed bus fare, pool entry fee increases off the table

Invercargill City Council has agreed not to move forward with proposed increase to entry fees at Splash Palace or to use the city’s public transportation network in the upcoming financial year.

At its meeting on Tuesday, Council confirmed changes proposed for its Fees and Charges schedule for the 2026/2027 year, including solid waste fee increases between 10 and 18 percent, Parks and Recreation services fee increases between 10 and 15 percent, and a 15 percent increase to on-street hourly parking fees.

However, elected members opted not to move forward with neither a proposed increase in bus fares, of between 10 and 14 percent, nor a 10 percent increase in entry fees at Splash Palace.

Public consultation on Council’s proposed changes to the schedule – which determines the costs associated with using services within the community, from buses to building control, Splash Palace entry fees to venue hire – closed at the end of April.

More than 150 people made a submission on the proposed increases.

Mayor Tom Campbell said community feedback, citing the impact the proposed increases to entry fees at the pool and for users of the city’s bus network could have on accessibility, played a key role in the decision-making process.

“Ultimately, the reality is that the cost to provide myriad services to our community are rising dramatically, and the increases within our upcoming Fees and Charges schedule better reflect the true cost of providing these to our community. If we did not increase user-pays costs to these services, this financial shortfall would have to be recouped via our rating system, which would have a financial impact on our entire community,” he said.

“However, as a Council we have heard from many in our community that the proposed increases to bus fares would have a significant effect upon the affordability of our public transportation network for those struggling the most in our community, at a time when fuel costs are placing a significant financial burden on households. Similarly, a number of submitters raised the impact any fee increase at Splash Palace could have on accessibility at one of our key wellbeing facilities within the city. The global economic climate is an extremely challenging one at the moment, and Council has to take a careful and considered approach to ensure we strike the right balance between service delivery costs and what we charge to use those services.”

The decision to continue with current public transportation fares, rather than move forward with the proposed increases, would have a 0.09 percent rates impact within Council’s 2026/2027 Annual Plan, while the decision not to increase entry fees at Splash Palace would have a 0.01 percent rates impact.

“Council has listened to everybody in our community who made a submission, and I again want to thank those residents who did so, for taking the time to share their feedback with those elected to represent them,” Campbell said.

Council Group Manager Finance and Assurance Patricia Christie said the organisation reviewed its Fees and Charges schedule every year.

For 2026/2027, most of its fees were set to increase by between 5 and 15 percent to account for rising service delivery costs – including inflation and corporate overheads, she said.

The 2026/2027 Fees and Charges schedule would come into effect from 1 July.