It seems like only a relatively short time ago that many wage and salary earners in Central Hawke's Bay, not to mention those on pensions and other fixed income, were despairing of being able to keep up with the rates being levied by CHB District Council.     At that time, Council had levied an automatic 9% (compounding) annual rates-rise on the district.   That alone was considered by some ratepayers, to be untenable, especially as Council gave no guarantee that there would not be added percentages on that sum for 'contingencies'.
In the opinion of many locals, CHBDC has over the past couple of decades clocked up a lot of core-facility and enviromental debt,which after those same decades of misdirected imperatives by subsequent councils, is now being called-in by law. Council must now attend to those core-facility and enviromental matters linked with them.        ALAS!! The coffers are empty!

IT GETS Worse!   Because of some complaints from the rural lobby that they were shouldering too much of the local rates debt, Council set up a committee to see if there was a better way.  The result was a reccomendation for a new and 'fairer' system, which went out for public submissions.  Submissions were overwhelmingly against the new system which would have meant rates-increases for urban dwellers in the 30% to 50% range for some.   Council admitted that most submissions were against the new system and after local concern was aired in both local and national newspapers, council without further ado, changed the system to rebate about $151.oo  of the Uniform Annual Charge and then rushed to ratify the new system without any further consultation!
Inherent in the new system is that all ratepayers will be responsible for the core-facility capital projects, right across the district, even though, some, like those in Takapau have had to take up repayment of their capital projects such as water reticulation, on a 'ward only' basis.
The new system also makes  all of the district's ratepayers equally responsible for the Land Transit Levy on Rural Roading, which will add huge costs to urban rates but give some relief to rural ratepayers.

Such a new system cries out for formal public consultation through a local referendum, but Council will not give us such a referendum because it knows that numerically, the new system would be soundly rejected.

Informally, Council admits that these huge rates-rises are untenable and also admit that they do not know what the answer is .
It appears that Council is awaiting a Central Government package which will give us relief ( A type of cargo-cult belief)
Government  does need to audit the rate-gathering and core-facility/enviromental debt in CHB, but I believe, is unlikely to act if local ratepayers simply wring their hands and accept the new rates as they will be levied.
We are told that local businesses and farming are hurting.  How much more will wage and salary earners hurt in times of an ailing world-economy, and when the effect of these rates-rises translates into higher rentals for accomodation, as landlords quite rightly need to cover their additional costs brought about by rates rises?

Unless local ratepayers demand a referendum on the new system, they will end up having to pay up, or ' ship-out'
You can demand a referendum simply by sending a short letter to the editor of Hawke's Bay Today paper, simply recording your objections to the new system and demanding a referendum..It may not be published, but I believe that it would be correlated.
Alternatively (or as well as) you could address a short written complaint to:The Minister of Local Government, NZ Parliament,
Private Bag, Wellington.