LGOIMA Requests

Thank you for your request regarding Manawatū District Council’s art collection and associated budget.

Please find our response to each part of your request below. We have included the Manawatū Community Hub Library (MCHL), Makino Pool and Community Murals in our response:

A full breakdown of your art collection

• One small triptych artwork, displayed in the Executive Wing foyer, value $850.00
• Drover & Dog Statue, installed on Kimbolton Road, donated, reinstatement value $203,000.00
• Squabbling Birds statue, on display outside MCHL, donated, value unknown.
• 3 paintings by the original owner of Mt Lees Homestead, installed at Mt Lees Homestead for public viewing, donated, value unknown
• 2 paintings by Sarah Platt, installed in Library for public viewing, donated, value unknown
• 2x 130 yr old New Zealand maps, on display at MCHL – Tui Mayo Room, found in the archives, value unknown
• Community Murals, on display throughout the district, painted by Joe McMenamin
• Makino Back Carpark, $4,300.00
• Makino Water Tank, $7,250.00
• Turners Road Reservoir, $17,000.00
• McDonald Heights Water Tank, $1,300 (the paint was donated and grant from Creative Communities covered the rest)

• Māori carving, on display at MDC Reception, received as an Environmental Award, value unknown
• Māori Carving on display at MCHL, a part of the cultural design of the building, value unknown

The number of roles that involve working with your art collection

Council does not have any roles specifically allocated to managing or working with an art collection.

• Number of dedicated roles: 0
• Job titles: Not applicable
• Salary or salary bands: Not applicable

How much is allocated in your yearly budget to be spent on art?

Council does not have a dedicated annual budget allocation for the acquisition of artwork. Where artwork has been incorporated into Council projects (for example, murals), funding has been sourced through project budgets and/or external grants or funding.

In summary, Manawatū District Council is a small Council and the artworks within Council ownership or care have primarily been donated, incorporated within broader capital project budgets or identified within historical archives.

LG 2426 – Information and correspondence about grave sites in Feilding Cemetery​ 

Thank you for your request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

All information within scope of your request is attached.

Please note some information has been withheld/redacted to protect personal privacy, in accordance with section 7(2)(a) of the LGOIMA.

Please find the information you requested below. 

2024/025

2025/2026

The information you have requested is below;

1. Personnel  as at 30 June 2025

• The total number of council staff dismissed due to poor performance in the financial year. None
• The total FTE number of staff employed by the council, excluding council-controlled organisations.  156.70 FTE
• If applicable, the FTE number of staff employed by CCOs.   5
• The total number of staff (non-FTE, including casual staff). If applicable, include CCOs separately.  CCOs – 7.4
• The total number of staff including those employed by CCOs receiving remuneration in excess of $100,000. 
  55 MDC
  1   CCO
• The total number of staff including those employed by CCOs receiving remuneration in excess of $200,000.
  4 MDC
  Nil CCO
• The total number of staff including those employed by council-controlled organisations receiving remuneration in excess of $256,800 (equivalent to a minister outside of Cabinet).  Information withheld due to privacy (section 7(2)(a) protect the privacy of natural persons) due to the small number of employees in the group.
• The mean and median renumeration for Council staff.  MDC - Mean $90,400 Median $83,636 (figures are based on total package)
  The mean and median renumeration for CCO staff.  N/A

 2.1. Management  

• The FTE number of managers employed by the council and, if applicable, the number of managers employed by CCOs as at 30 June 2025. 41.13 FTE Managers MDC
• The Taxpayers’ Union defines a manager as: any staff member who is responsible for a team of staff, or who has an employee/employees reporting to them and organises them to achieve their department’s or organisation’s specified goal. The Chief Executive team is included in this definition. 
• The ratio of management to total staff numbers.  If applicable, please provide a ratio for the group, including CCOs, and a ration for the council parent. 1 : 4.14 MDC
• The average and median salary of a manager. If applicable, please provide for both the group, including CCOs, and the council parent. Mean $136,810 Median $121,248 MDC

2.2. Communications  

• The FTE number of communications & marketing staff employed by the council and, if applicable, the number of communications & marketing staff employed by CCOs.
  3.55 MDC
• The average and median salary of communications & marketing staff. If applicable, please provide for both the group, including CCOs, and the council parent.
  Information withheld under section 7(2)(a) of LGOIMA, to protect the privacy of natural persons, due to the small number of employees in the group.

 3.  Audit and Risk Oversight  

• How many members are on the Council’s Audit and Risk Committee (or equivalent)?  Seven.
• Of those members, how many are elected and how many are independent of the council?  Five are elected and two are independent.
• Is the Chair of the Committee an independent member?  Independent.
• Does the Council have a lawyer (with a current practising certificate) on the Committee?  No. The Deputy Chair (independent) has a law degree and legal background, but not a practising certificate.
• Does the Council have an accountant (with a current practising certificate or a full member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand) on the Committee?  Yes. The Chair (independent) is registered with Chartered Accountants New Zealand.
• Does the Council have a code of conduct requiring political neutrality from Council staff?  We have a policy for Council staff that addresses this area called the “Employees Expressing an Opinion About Council Policy”. It does not require staff to be politically neutral, however it prohibits the use of Council mediums or assets (Council’s social media, staff emails, facilities etc) for this purpose. Where staff wish to express an opinion that differs from the stated opinion of the Council, they are obligated to inform their manager and must qualify any such statements as being   personal in nature (ergo not representative of the Council’s view). 

  4. Unelected members

• Please list all appointments of unelected members onto council committees with spending and regulatory powers. Finance and Performance: Stuart Campbell (chair), John Fowke (deputy chair)
  Water Services Delivery Unit Committee: Colin McFadzean (chair)

5. Payments to third parties

• The total payments made by the Council (or any council-controlled organisation) to any Chamber of Commerce, including GST.  $6,118
• The total payments made by the Council (or any council-controlled organisation) to Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), including GST.  $65,113
• The total payments made by the Council (or any council-controlled organisation) to the Taituarā including GST.  $52,905

The information you have requested is below; 

1. Contractors and consultants  

• Total expenditure on contractors by the council and the FTE equivalent as at 30 June 2025. Please provide the same information for CCOs, if applicable.  

• The Taxpayers’ Union defines contractors as per the Contractors and Consultants Guidance document published by the Public Service Commission. 

Total Expenditure as at 30 June 2025 on contractors: $2,850,067 

It is not possible for us to provide an accurate FTE equivalent  

• Total expenditure on consultants by the council and the FTE equivalent as at 30 June 2025. Please provide the same information for CCOs, if applicable. 

• The Taxpayers’ Union defines consultants as per the Contractors and Consultants Guidance document published by the Public Service Commission. 

Total Expenditure as at 30 June 2025 on consultants: 

$1,031,689 It is not possible for us to provide an accurate FTE equivalent 

2. Mayor’s office 

• If applicable, please provide the total budget allocated to the mayor’s office for both the financial year ended 30 June 2025 and the current financial year. 
  Expenditure 
  2024/25 - $350,996 
  2025/26 - $372,356  

• If applicable, please provide the FTE number of staff employed to work in the mayor’s office and their job titles. 
  1 – Executive Assistant to the Mayor 

3. Depreciation and renewals – All figures are GST exclusive 

• The total amount of depreciation funded for all council-owned assets in the year ended 30 June 2025, broken down by source (e.g., rates, grants, levies). 

• The total cash amount spent on replacing, restoring, or upgrading existing assets to maintain levels of service in the year ended 30 June 2025. 

$23,760,298 

• What was the actual year-end balance of cash reserves held for depreciation, and did the balance increase or decrease over this period? 
  Council does not apportion cash balance to specific reserves.  

• The total amount of depreciation funds allocated for purposes other than renewals capital expenditure in the year ended 30 June 2025. Specifically, detail the amounts used for:   $3.6M of principle loan repayments for assets that are loan funded and Council funds depreciation for 

• New Capital/Growth Projects (i.e., new assets, not renewals). 
  New Capex - $18,274,000 
  Growth Capex - $6,929,000 

• Debt Repayment (i.e., principal or interest payments). 
  Interest on borrowings - $4,211,000 
  Principle Repayments - $3,607,780 

• Operating Expenses. 

Total Operating Expenditure - $49,509,000 

The information you have requested is below. 

MDC is not able to break down the General Rate and Targeted rate by differential category.  The table has been completed with the total rates charged by differential category (GST EXCL)   

Further to your information request, the information is below; 

1. Drain: all records noting/flagging the need to upgrade the open drain to an underground solution; maintenance/inspection history; incident/flood complaint history; asset ownership/responsibility details (including any asset ID); and any deferred renewal or upgrade programming.  

The subject drain is privately owned, and responsibility for its ownership and maintenance rests with the private owner. As previously communicated, Council has future plans to upgrade the upstream catchment, which will result in significant improvements to the subject area. At this stage, detailed design work has not yet been completed, however I can confirm that funding for the upgrade has been allocated in the Long Term Plan for Financial Year 4 (2028–2029). 

2. Tree: land ownership mapping for the poplar location; any existing arborist reports, risk assessments, inspection logs, maintenance records, and any prior complaints or service requests about the tree.  

Council holds no records on private trees. Private property owners are responsible for the maintenance of trees within their property.