LGOIMA Requests

Date received: 30/06/2026

Requested information: Playground Timber Concerns - Request for information on the condition, inspection history, and safety of playground timber, including concerns about borer, rot, and structural integrity. It also seeks details on the council's awareness of the issues, supplier disclosure, and any inspections or independent assessments undertaken.

Status: Awaiting approval to release

Date received: 24/06/2026

Requested information: Questions about various aspects of the Annual Plan - Various questions regarding the annual plan and additionally, a request for a high-resolution image of the council or Feilding for use in a local newspaper.

Status: Complete

Date responded: 29/06/2026

Response:

1. Does the annual plan feature new or increased borrowing? If so, is this borrowing for operational expenses, capital expenses, or other?  The Annual Plan contains a net increase in debt of $13,830,000 to fund capital projects
2. Will a greater share of council internal staff and administrative costs be recovered through user-pays regulatory fees (such as building consents and licensing)?  There are no changes to how regulatory activities are funded in this Annual Plan
3. Does the annual plan include assumptions about future population growth in places such as Maewa in order to spread the district's debt and operating costs over a greater number of ratepayers? What is the council's plan should growth not meet these assumptions?  The Annual Plan contains growth assumptions as outlined in the 2024-34 Long Term Plan. These assumptions will be revisited in the 2027-37 Long Term Plan
4. Has any rate revenue or funding been allocated to Resilience and Insurance Reserves? If no additional revenue has been allocated, why is this? What would the course of action (liquidity plan) be if Resilience and Insurance Reserves were needed urgently?  The Annual Plan contains no rates funding for Resilience and Insurance reserves. Council can use existing reserves or borrowing facilities in the event of an emergency.
5. Does the updated Development and Financial Contributions Policy accurately reflect the actual cost of installing infrastructure at Maewa, or are existing ratepayers subsidizing the growth of new housing?  Development Contributions are used to recover the cost of all growth works.
6. How are increases in the cost of raw materials (e.g., bitumen for roads and plastics for pipes) managed within the current financial strategy, and where are service levels being adjusted to account for these hikes?  Council will manage cost fluctuations within existing budgets. Decisions on adjusting levels of service to remain within budget will be made as required.

Date received: 19/06/2026

Requested information: El Nino Preparation - Questions about how the council is proactively preparing for El Niño, especially in Himatangi.

Status: Awaiting approval to release

Date received: 12/06/2026

Requested information: Disaster Spending Request - A request for detailed information on actual spending by the council over the past 20 years (2006–2025) related to recovery from weather-related natural disasters and resilience-building efforts, including costs, government funding received to avoid double counting, and any supporting briefings or reports.

Status: With Subject Matter Expert

Date received: 08/06/2026

Requested information: Councillors' attendance records for current period of Council

Status: Complete

Response:

Attachments:

• Attendance at Council and Committee meetings.xlsx (31KB)

Date received: 04/06/2026

Requested information: Information about Mt Taylor building consents for accessory buildings

Status: Complete

Response:

Date received: 25/05/2026

Requested information: Privacy request - CCTV footage for incident in Council carpark

Status: Complete

Date received: 21/05/2026

Requested information: Seeking information about Manawatū District Council’s procurement process for professional services, including spend thresholds for direct procurement and closed tenders, and whether there is a professional services supplier panel available to join.

Status: Complete

Response:

Date received: 11/05/2026

Requested information: Information about notable trees in Pharazyn Street

Status: Complete

Response:

LG 2454 – Information about notable trees in Pharazyn Street ("the oaks").  

The information you have requested is below. 

1. Any documentation/evidence/dates respecting the decision to recognise the oak tree's on Pharzyn Street as 'notable' or worthy of protection  

              a. The oaks are protected trees through two different legal mechanisms: 

                  The heritage order was placed on the oaks due to their historical significance. They are believed to have been planted by former Mayor                        of the Feilding Borough Council William A. Sandilands sometime in the 1890s. The oaks were also considered to be healthy specimens                          when assessed by an arborist. 

                  The oaks were granted their heritage order based on their history as well as being considered to be "substantial specimens which make                        a positive contribution toward the townscape in this part of Feilding"². 

                  No Council records have been identified which evaluate or confirm who planted the oaks, or whether this matter was considered at the                        time decisions were made. 

                  Council has no record that the heritage order was ever removed. 

            ii.   Manawatū District Plan: The oaks are known as Tree 2 in TREE-SCHED1 Notable Trees Schedule in the District Plan. 

                 The oaks have been listed in the Manawatū District Plan since it became operative in 2002. This is the first instance where the oaks were                       listed as notable trees. They have been assessed multiple times, including in 1995 for the heritage order application, then again in 2014,                       2021, and 2023. Each assessment revealed the trees to be healthy and in need of minor maintenance (deadwooding, crown reduction, and                   ivy removal). 

                 Notable Trees listed in TREE-SCHED1³ of the Manawatū District Plan were most recently reviewed in 2021 through to 2024 via Plan                               Change H(b): Notable Trees⁴. No submissions were received requesting changes to the oaks with regard to TREE-SCHED1.

                 Plan Change H(b) became operative on 30 May 2024 and still has effect today. 

           b.   Documents are provided in this link – LG 2454 Documents

            i.   Heritage Order File LC 2942 19 Pharazyn Street (includes the 1995 Arborist Assessment) 

            ii.  2014 Arborist Assessment 

           iii.  2021 Arborist Assessment (as part of Plan Change H(b)) 

           iv.  2023 Arborist Assessment 

Manawatū District Council may publish this response along with a summary of the request on our website.   Requests and responses may be paraphrased.    

To protect your privacy, we will not generally publish personal information about you, or information that identifies you.   

If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact the LGOIMA Response Team on 06 323 0000 or by replying to this email.  

Date received: 11/05/2026

Requested information: Information about heritage order applications, proposals or NOR in Taonui Road property

Status: Complete

Response: