Horowhenua Residents & Ratepayers Collective

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The Horowhenua Residents & Ratepayers Collective holds councils to account, protects our environment, and pushes for transparent, data-driven decisions and responsible development that reflect the best interests of our communities.

GROWTH AT ANY COST = HIGHER RATESThese are our current councillors and leaders.Many are tied to projects and organisatio...
25/08/2025

GROWTH AT ANY COST = HIGHER RATES

These are our current councillors and leaders.

Many are tied to projects and organisations that keep driving rates higher. Council has chosen the 95th percentile growth model, the highest projection available, to justify massive spending.

That means we are building infrastructure for a population that may never arrive.

If that growth does not happen, ratepayers will be left holding all the risk: the debt, the rates burden, and the fallout from decisions we had little say in.

⸻

Who is driving it
• Brendan Duffy, former Mayor and now Chair of THCL
• Wayne Bishop, former Deputy Mayor and owner of Wayne Bishop Group
• Monique Davidson, Chief Executive of HDC
• Antony Young, Chair of HNZT
• David Allan, Deputy Mayor
• Bernie Wanden, Mayor
• Paul Olsen
• Piri-Hira Tukapua
• Jonathon Procter
• Sam Jennings
• Mike Barker
• Ross Brannigan

⸻

Organisations behind it
• The Horowhenua Company Limited (THCL): runs economic development for the district. Not a council-controlled organisation, yet it heavily influences growth projects and spending priorities. Chair: Brendan Duffy.
• Horowhenua District Council (HDC): the body committing millions of rates and debt into projects like Tara-Ika and Levin Town Centre Transformation.
• Horowhenua New Zealand Trust (HNZT): owns THCL. Created in 2018 to push long-term growth strategies such as the Horowhenua 2040 Blueprint.
• Muaūpoko Tribal Authority Inc (MTA): partners with Council and the Crown on major projects including Tara-Ika and Ō2NL.

⸻

Projects piling on the risk

Tara-Ika Development
Around $6.3 million has already been spent on wastewater pipes, with millions more to come for stormwater, roads, and reserves. It is designed for 9,500 new residents. If they never arrive, ratepayers still pay.

Levin Town Centre Transformation
Around $6 million allocated to reshape the town centre. Promoted as “revitalisation” but if growth does not materialise, we are left with debt and little to show for it.

⸻

These projects are not just expensive, they are speculative.
Developers, consultants, and organisations benefit up front.
But if the population boom never comes, it is ratepayers who will carry the cost for decades through higher rates and heavier debt.

⸻

The Choice Ahead

This election we can change direction. We can choose leaders who put community needs ahead of growth at any cost. We can demand transparency. And we can protect ratepayers from carrying all the risk.

Today we stand again with challenging councils nz and we say Enough is Enough!We will not back down! And we will fight t...
04/08/2025

Today we stand again with challenging councils nz and we say Enough is Enough!

We will not back down! And we will fight to drive out this Duffy & Bishop regime and their sympathiser and entities from the Horowhenua District Council.

This local election we will continue to expose their corruption relentlessly - agenda, entities, people, puppets, politicians, HDC, staff, and their political candidates.

04/07/2025

Some pre-election grease from Horowhenua District Council 🙄 It was pretty dry so we decided to edit it 👀

Brendan Duffy still runs Horowhenua from the shadows. He built the hidden empire: private trusts, secret companies, and cooked-up 95th percentile population models no other council in New Zealand uses. It’s not the national or industry standard and Stats NZ doesn’t recommend it either.

Monique Davidson and the HDC executive team keep it humming like loyal puppets. Locked doors, no questions, staged “consultation.” Meanwhile your rates keep climbing to fund their empire and wealth.

Time to wake up, Horowhenua. Vote this dictator Brendan Duffy and his puppet Councillors and HDC executive team out. Enough is enough.

🚨 HDC & THCL Backed Tolling Ō2NL To Keep Traffic Flowing Through LevinFeeding Their Growth Plans While Locals Pay TwiceN...
04/07/2025

🚨 HDC & THCL Backed Tolling Ō2NL
To Keep Traffic Flowing Through Levin
Feeding Their Growth Plans
While Locals Pay Twice

Next time you’re stuck behind a tractor on SH1 or wondering why your rates keep climbing, remember this: the new Ōtaki to North of Levin expressway was sold as a safer bypass. But the truth is, our own Council, led by Chief Executive Monique Davidson, the Mayor, and their tight circle at The Horowhenua Company Limited (THCL) and the Horowhenua NZ Trust, backed the toll from the start.

They did it because they need the traffic. Without cars flowing through Levin, their big growth plans start to fall apart.

The Road Was Never Meant To Bypass Levin
—————————
Waka Kotahi planned the Ō2NL to pull heavy traffic off the old SH1. Safer roads. Fewer crashes. Less congestion. But if the new highway was free, drivers would take it and skip Levin altogether. That would mean empty main streets and a growth plan left exposed.

Good for road users. Not good for the people who built their strategy on the promise that Levin is booming.

The Mayor, Monique Davidson, THCL and the Horowhenua NZ Trust have bet our district’s future on high traffic counts and big subdivision numbers. Tara-Ika alone – 3,500 houses and nearly 10,000 more people – depends on cars staying close. No traffic means no shoppers, no café customers, no new rates income to pay the mounting debt for new pipes, roads and shiny urban upgrades.

They Didn’t Fight The Toll – They Backed It
—————————
When the Government announced it wanted to put a toll on the new highway, our Council didn’t stand up for road users or local families. They didn’t push back on behalf of farmers, truckies or commuters.

They agreed. And they asked for a slice of the toll money for themselves.

In his own words, Mayor Bernie Wanden spelled it out in a letter to Transport Minister Chris Bishop:

“The Horowhenua District Council made a submission – you can read it on our website. We supported tolling, but with the important proviso that a portion of the money raised be provided to Council to maintain the part of State Highway One which is likely to pass from NZTA to district ownership once the new road is open.”
He didn’t hide what that really means:

“This extra traffic will be a hazard in itself and will cause more wear and tear on the road, which will need to be maintained to a high standard… Such maintenance is frankly likely to be beyond the budget of the Horowhenua District Council… These risks would be significantly lessened if part of the money raised from tolling was allocated to Council for upkeep and repair.”
They knew a toll would push traffic back onto the old SH1 through Levin. They planned for it. They needed it.

Why? To Keep The Growth Machine Moving
—————————
If the bypass was truly free, the through-traffic would vanish – along with the Council’s narrative of growth. Without cars rolling through, the big housing projects and the big spend on new services look shaky. The numbers don’t stack up.

That’s why they didn’t stand up for us. They didn’t fight the toll. They signed us up to pay twice. Once with taxes to build the road, then again every time we use it – and when we dodge the toll, our rates pay to fix the battered old road they kept busy on purpose.

Who Wins – And Who Doesn’t
—————————
Ordinary families don’t win. Local drivers don’t win. Small businesses paying higher transport costs don’t win.

The winners are the same circle who tied HDC, Monique Davidson, THCL and the Horowhenua NZ Trust together. They keep the traffic, the subdivisions, the high-growth headlines – while we pick up the bill.

Remember This
—————————
This was never just a road. It’s a plan to keep traffic flowing through Levin and money flowing into their growth schemes – and you’re paying for it twice. Hold them to it when they ask for your vote.

Sources
—————————
Ō2NL Tolling Study Report (2022)
Ō2NL Consultation Brochure (2024)
Regulatory Impact Statement – Tolling Ō2NL
NZ Herald: Horowhenua & Kāpiti Mayors on Tolling
HDC Letter to Minister Bishop (Minister Bishop: An Opportunity, 2025)
Horowhenua 2040 Blueprint (May 2022)
Tara-Ika Master Plan (2020)
Horowhenua Growth Strategy 2040 – 2023 Update
HDC Long Term Plan 2024–2044
HDC Development Contributions Policy (2024)

🚨 Ō2NL Backtrack: HDC, THCL & Co Now Claim Credit for the Mess They MadeHorowhenua ratepayers deserve the truth.Horowhen...
02/07/2025

🚨 Ō2NL Backtrack: HDC, THCL & Co
Now Claim Credit for the Mess They Made

Horowhenua ratepayers deserve the truth.

Horowhenua District Council, The Horowhenua Company Limited (THCL) and Horowhenua NZ Trust are now trying to claim they “saved” the community when NZTA reversed its flawed Ō2NL highway redesign.
What they don’t want you to see is this: they helped shape that flawed plan from day one, and they have quietly supported tolling Ō2NL all along.

Silent Support for Tolls
———
While they pat themselves on the back and make their announcements on facebook and stand in front of cameras claiming they “stood up” for the community, the same Council machine has been perfectly comfortable with adding a new toll to the very road we already pay for through rates and fuel taxes. They never fought to stop it. They stayed silent when they should have spoken up for every ratepayer who will carry that extra cost for decades.

Who Really Pays
———
Why did they back the toll? Because it keeps money flowing to prop up their growth numbers and private development plans, while families, workers and local businesses pay twice: once through rising rates to fund Tara-Ika’s roads, pipes and stormwater, and again every time they drive the Ō2NL route to work, school or family out of town.

The Real Agenda
———
For years, these same people relied on misleading and inflated population forecasts to sell their big projects like Tara-Ika and the Levin town centre upgrade. These plans only work if traffic is funnelled into Levin instead of safely bypassing it. So they pushed NZTA for a design with more roundabouts, more exits and more local road changes that serve their private development goals instead of putting safety first.

Community Fought Back
———
When the public found out, they pushed back. Families, farmers, businesses and everyday residents did the work. They organised, spoke up and demanded better. The community, not Council or THCL, forced NZTA to fix the design.

Pretending to Be Heroes
———
Yet here they are: Antony Young, Brendan Duffy, Monique Davidson, Bernie Wanden, Sam Jennings and other sitting councillors who have supported this Duffy–Bishop regime for years, all lining up to claim they “pressured NZTA” and “stood with the people.” They did not. They stood by the flawed plan until they were exposed and only changed their story when they realised they were on the wrong side of the community.

The Tolling Lie
———
The tolling lie says it all. They talk about protecting the community but stayed silent while a new cost was added to every local household and business just to keep their plan alive.

Who Is Responsible
———
This is not leadership. It is spin dressed up as care for ratepayers.

So let’s be clear about who is responsible:
Antony Young, Brendan Duffy, Monique Davidson, Bernie Wanden, Sam Jennings, plus the other councillors who carried this agenda, Horowhenua District Council, The Horowhenua Company Limited and Horowhenua NZ Trust. The same names, the same insiders who benefit while ratepayers pay.

Ratepayers Made the Difference
———
They created this mess and now want you to thank them for pretending to fix it.

The truth is the people of Horowhenua made the difference, not them. Neighbours, ratepayers and locals refused to stay quiet and demanded better. We can do it again.

This Is Our Place
———
No more hidden support for tolls. No more redacted deals. No more pre-election grease. No more last-minute spin before election day. This district does not belong to a handful of insiders. It belongs to the people who live here, pay the bills and speak up when something doesn’t add up.

We see it now. We are watching. And we are not buying it anymore.

Make Your Vote Count
———
This is our place. It is time to take it back.

Local elections are in October. Make your vote count for your family, your neighbours and your community. Not for those who backed the toll, built the mess and now want to claim they saved us from it.

⚠️ Concerned Ratepayers: From 1 July, HDC’s New Rates Hike Kicks In – Pensioners and Fixed-Income Households Will Feel I...
01/07/2025

⚠️ Concerned Ratepayers: From 1 July, HDC’s New Rates Hike Kicks In – Pensioners and Fixed-Income Households Will Feel It First

From 1 July 2025, Horowhenua District Council’s latest rates increase comes into force, confirmed when they adopted the Annual Plan 2025/26 at their 19 May meeting and published the news headline: “Council adopts Annual Plan and sets Fees and Charges for 2025/26.”

What the headline doesn’t spell out is that your rates will jump by an average of 10.2%, right on top of last year’s massive 16.6% spike. And next year? Their own Long Term Plan shows another hike already projected – over 9% more in 2026/27.

A “Pie” Doesn’t Pay the Power Bill

In Council’s words, rates are a pie. They decide its size, then slice it up. But for pensioners, Super hasn’t gone up by 10%. Neither has the benefit. So for anyone on a fixed income, this means cutting back somewhere else – food, power or savings meant for emergencies.

The Real Reason: Growth Costs Passed To You

Council says 85% of this year’s increase is water and wastewater. But that’s because big new subdivisions like Tara-Ika need massive new pipes, roads and drains. Developers pay part – but the rest is loaded onto existing ratepayers. That means you.

No Consultation – Just The Bill

This time Council didn’t even consult. They say the plan didn’t change “materially” from the Long Term Plan adopted in 2024. But for pensioners and families trying to get by, another 10% is far from minor.

And Next Year?

It doesn’t stop here. The Council’s own Long Term Plan shows rates jumping again next year – another 9% plus on top of two record hikes. For any household on a fixed income, it’s unsustainable.

Make This Year’s Vote Count

It’s an election year. If your rates bill keeps growing faster than your income, ask your councillors what they’re doing to control runaway costs. Growth should pay for growth – not pensioners and families who built this district.

This time, don’t just hope for change. Make your vote count.

Council says it’s living within its means. Many of us would love to – but we’d like to be able to afford ours too.

Source: HDC Annual Plan 2025/26, Long Term Plan 2024–2044, HDC News Article “Council adopts Annual Plan and sets Fees and Charges for 2025/26”.

Lest we forget… 💉💀
20/06/2025

Lest we forget… 💉💀

💬 We now know where most of the $1.2 billion will be spent — Levin.Over the next 20 years, more than $300 million is goi...
14/06/2025

💬 We now know where most of the $1.2 billion will be spent — Levin.

Over the next 20 years, more than $300 million is going directly into Levin upgrades:

🔹 $113M for water
🔹 $146M for wastewater
🔹 $11M for stormwater
🔹 $15M+ for Tara-Ika infrastructure
🔹 Plus roading, shared paths & a full CBD revamp

All funded from the same district-wide rates pool we all pay into.

Meanwhile, towns like Foxton, Shannon, Tokomaru and Ōpiki are getting just a leftovers thrown over the fence — mostly for basic renewals, not real growth.

The gap is massive — but we’re all paying the same rate hikes.

Here are 4 actions we could take:

1) Push to restore local representation (e.g. something like the old Foxton Borough Council)

2) Unite with other small towns to form a new Horowhenua Towns District Council

3) Explore joining Manawatū District, where rural communities have more influence

4) Run candidates across all wards and vote out the current council

Leave a comment with which option ratepayers prefer.





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