Mayor’s Introduction Mayor’s Introduction Marlborough is a special part of New Zealand with an enviable quality of life, a strong economy and a beautiful natural environment. Our region is made up of diverse rural,urban and coastal communities, each with its own aspirations for the future. Councillors agreed that this Long Term Plan 2018-28 should address three key priorities: looking after the environment, building and maintaining our infrastructure and investing in economic development. We consulted the community widely in preparation for this Plan and received 305 written submissions. Over 100 people presented their submissions to Council during 30 hours of hearings. In considering the submissions, Council was very conscious of the need to strike a balance between rates movements, already higher than in previous years, and meeting the needs of the community. After final funding calculations, the rates increase proposed in the Consultation Document prior to consultation has been reduced by over 0.6% to 4.15% for the coming 2018/19 year. Ibelieve we have been as fair and reasonable to our community as we can be. Where we have declined funding, we have sought to identify other income streams submitters can access or we have offered non-financial Council support where possible. This Plan provides $525m of capital spending over ten years on our core services, and uses our reserve funds wherever possible. Providing essential services is driving increases in capital spending - on roading, water and sewerage networks – and community facilities and flood protection. We are also meeting new Government-imposed national standards for the environment and public health. We’ve been upgrading our water supplies to meet the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards. The need to achieve compliance was reinforced by the serious gastroenteritis outbreak in Havelock North in 2016. Council is proposing to spend 40% of its capital expenditure budget over the next 10 years on water and sewerage services. This Plan also proposes more resources for environmental science to enable Council to deliver better environmental management and monitoring. The public have told us they expect more emphasis on protecting our biodiversity. With a new Marlborough Environment Plan on the way we need to be able to fulfil its aspirations for managing our natural and physical resources well. Provision of future funding for the Marlborough Kaikoura coastal cycling and walking trailand for a new Blenheim library and art gallery are included in this Plan. The cycle trailinvestment will attract significant visitor numbers and create opportunities for South Marlborough to generate new business, post the Kaikoura earthquake. 2018-2028 Long Term Plan Page 4