Last week, the Hutt City Council signed off on our 2023-24 Group Annual Report. This report is a great opportunity for me to do what I’m passionate about—demystifying what the council does and making it easier for people to see the tangible outcomes of our work. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing key highlights from the report—real, practical examples of what we’ve achieved for our community.
If you’re eager to dive straight in, you can read the full report right now here.
Click to read full Annual Plan
What’s the Difference Between a Long Term Plan and an Annual Report?
Before we get into the details, it’s helpful to understand how the Annual Report fits into the broader picture of council planning.
- Annual Report: This is a backwards-looking document. It reflects on what we set out to achieve over the past year and compares it to what we’ve actually done. It’s a chance to show you the progress we’ve made, whether it’s renewing infrastructure, addressing environmental concerns, or investing in community spaces.
- Long Term Plan (LTP): This is forward-looking. The LTP outlines our vision and goals for the city over the next 10 years. It includes our big plans for infrastructure, housing, the environment, and more. If you’re curious about what’s coming up next, you can check out our Long Term Plan here.
Both the Annual Report and the Long Term Plan are key to understanding how council operates. While the LTP gives a roadmap of what we intend to do in the future, the Annual Report focuses on holding ourselves accountable by showing what we’ve actually accomplished in the last 12 months.
Financial Performance and Key Projects
Amidst financial and economic pressures, along with new government policy settings, we have adapted quickly. We delivered $175 million in capital investments, which is $19 million more than the previous year. These investments focused on critical areas like:
- $74 million for water services, which included renewing 15.8 km of pipes—the highest renewal rate in the region, in partnership with Wellington Water.
- $42 million for transport, ensuring our roads and transport infrastructure continue to support our growing city.
- $22 million for Te Ngaengae, our new Naenae Pool and Fitness Centre, which is set to open in December 2024.
In addition to these major investments, we have also begun improvement works at the Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant. This includes replacing biofilters to improve odour management—a key issue for the community. Further upgrades to the plant are planned for the coming years to continue improving this critical facility.
One key consideration with this data, it’s everything that happened within 1 July 2023 – 31 May 2024. So a number of things, as of writing this, will have progressed significantly (Such as Naenae Pool is opening in a few weeks and the Seaview biofilter improvement works are now complete)
Talking About What We’ve Done, Not Just What We Will Do
Too often, councils are seen as being full of talk—constantly discussing what we’re going to do. This report is a chance to highlight what we have done. From renewing pipes to addressing odour issues at Seaview, or starting major projects like the Riverbank revitalisation—these are all real actions that have been taken. That said, a lot of these projects are still ongoing, and you’ll see more about them in future updates. Many of these initiatives are just the beginning of longer-term efforts.
For those projects that are still in progress, I encourage you to check out our Long Term Plan, which lays out where we’re headed over the next decade. It’s the guide for all the major initiatives we’re working on, like improving infrastructure, housing, and making Lower Hutt a more resilient and vibrant city.
Stay Tuned for Highlights
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be breaking down some of the key highlights from the Annual Report into bite-sized updates that I hope will make it easier to see how the work we’re doing impacts you. Whether it’s improving roads, building community spaces, or investing in sustainability, there are many exciting things happening, and I look forward to sharing them with you.