National benchmarking shows FNDC in strong position

The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) released new benchmarking data of councils’ performance across Aotearoa New Zealand yesterday (31 July), including the Far North District Council (FNDC).

FNDC is grouped in the Small metro and large provincial category with 20 other councils of a similar make up for comparison. Group Manager - Corporate Services, Charlie Billington acknowledges the benchmarking and said the council’s AA credit rating in the report demonstrated that the council continues to maintain robust financial management, with a substantial borrowing headroom.

"While all council data is shared with the public annually, DIA's benchmarking allows Far Northerners to see specific metrics for our district alongside similar councils. The Far North's size and rural nature presents unique challenges, and we are committed to responsible financial management and continuous improvement. This new benchmarking from DIA will be another tool in our kete to improve our services for our rohe, and we advocate for more context and information to be included in future data releases to enable full picture transparency across all councils".

FNDC serves one of New Zealand’s largest districts, supporting 73,500 people across 6,687 km². A large land area and higher-than-average population within the Small metro and large provincial group mean FNDC must maintain extensive infrastructure such as roads, water, and waste networks, over a large and often rural region. This leads to higher delivery costs per resident compared to more compact urban councils. Lower population growth can also limit new revenue opportunities and puts more financial responsibility on existing ratepayers to support necessary services and maintenance.

Using the DIA figures for rates increases in 2023/24, it calculated percentage increases by comparing rate revenues between those years and found the FNDC increase of 7.1 per cent was below the median of the other councils in that group, who rated at 10 per cent.

The recently approved 10.95 per cent increase for 2025/26 reflect cost drivers such as interest, inflation, and asset costs, related to the need to maintain and upgrade essential services and infrastructure.

The benchmarking report also shows that FNDC has achieved balanced budgets, demonstrating prudent financial management. Investment is focused on maintaining and improving local infrastructure, particularly roading and water service delivery, while balancing operating costs and affordability. The council recognises a need to improve delivery of capital projects.

Far North residents are encouraged to explore more about council plans and performance here.

The full Council performance measurement report by the DIA is available here.

---

The DIA table below shows FNDC's rating on key metrics, compared to other councils in the Small metro and large provincial group.