Better off Funding is part of the Three Waters Reform process. Central government has set aside $2 billion (nationwide) for councils to use to improve amenity and outcomes for residents. This funding provides huge opportunity for councils to progress and accelerate projects while ensuring minimal impact to ratepayers.
The funding was determined by the Department of Internal Affairs and pre-allocated to councils based on a nationally consistent formula considering population, deprivation indices and land area.
Funding applications
The Whakatāne District was allocated $22.66 million in total, with the first tranche of funding being $5.66 million. The remaining portion ($16.99 million) was to become available in 2024, however with the Water Services Reform reset in April 2023, the second tranche of Better off Funding was cancelled.
The good news was though, Council took a strategic approach when applying for the funding to only put forward projects we knew could be completed with the first tranche of funding ($5.66 million).
What can we spend the money on?
Funding could be used for projects budgeted for in the current Long Term Plan (from years one to three) where Better off Funding could cover the additional costs from accelerating a project.
Or it could be used for the full costs of a project in years four to 10 of the Long Term Plan, if Better off Funding would accelerate, scale-up and/or enhance the quality of the planned investment.
The funding criteria announced by the Department of Internal Affairs was:
- Supporting communities to transition to a sustainable and low-emissions economy, including building resilience to climate change and natural hazards.
- Delivery of infrastructure and/or services which allowed housing development and growth, with a focus on brownfield (previously developed land which is not currently in use) and infill development opportunities where those are available.
- Delivery of infrastructure and/or services that support local place-making and improvements in community well-being.
Further information about the fund criteria can be found at the DIA website.
The seven projects Council is putting forward and the amounts allocated to them are:
- planning for Murupara and Minginui regeneration, and amenity projects ($700K)
- developing shared-use cycle trail from Edgecumbe to Thornton ($900K)
- enhancing Civil Defence preparedness and strengthening Waimana and Te Teko community halls ($1.36M)
- commencing a two-year commitment for a collective Iwi Policy Hub ($1M)
- delivering Hono Hapori - mobile community outreach for Council services ($500K)
- providing for a CCTV upgrade and expansion ($1M)
- accelerating the Whakatāne-Kawerau Spatial Plan ($200K).
What was the prioritisation process for shortlisting the projects?
Council followed a robust process to identify project options, prioritise them and then finalise a short list of successful projects. Council worked with an independent third party to ensure the selection process was vigorous and fair.
Our consultant looked at project identification, developing a prioritisation tool, Iwi consultation touch points and building Council consensus on a final short list of projects. A long list of potential projects (more than 40) was developed using different sources.
Previous community engagement information and submissions from the recently completed Long Term Plan was the first source for developing a long list of projects. Added to this were ideas received by staff in the course of Council business, iwi engagement and from Council via a range of workshops.
Have a question?
Check out our Better off Funding FAQs - (PDF, 187 KB)
Read more
- Better Off Funding projects continue to progress - October 2023
- Council gets green light for Better off Funding projects - December 2022
- 'Better off Funding' welcomed by Council - September 2022