Cover of Annual Report 2025/26 showing scenic image from Selwyn District. Selwyn District Council has adopted its Annual Report for 30 June 2026 within the statutory deadline and with an unmodified opinion from Audit New Zealand.

The report shows a surplus before tax of $104.2 million, compared with a budgeted $26.9 million. The difference is mainly comprised of $51 million more than expected in vested assets – roads, pipes and parks built by developers and handed to the Council – and development contributions being $17.5 million higher than budget.

“A $104 million surplus sounds like money in the bank, but it isn’t,” says Mayor Lydia Gliddon.

“Vested assets don’t involve any cash. They’re new roads, pipes and parks we now own and have to maintain. Development contributions can only be spent on infrastructure for growth.

“Take those out – along with depreciation expenses – and overall, our day-to-day operations had a surplus of $24.7 million. That’s through a combination of reducing our operating expenses, and higher than forecast revenues through our fees and charges.

“Although the surplus is not available to directly fund a reduction in rates, it does reduce the need for borrowing, and supports the Council’s long-term financial sustainability.”

Chief Executive Steve Gibling says getting an unmodified audit opinion within the statutory timeframe is a great step forward for this Council.

“It’s been some years since we’ve done that. The auditors also drew attention to the uncertainty around local government reform, which is disclosed in the report.

“In terms of debt, the Council owed $225 million at the end of the year. That’s $165 million less than we had budgeted to borrow so it’s a good result.”

Mayor Gliddon says that during the year, the Council dealt with some difficult issues, including rates over-charging, and water services that historic systems had not billed.

“An independent review of water billing has been completed. It will go to our Audit and Risk Committee, and the Council will decide in December whether to recover the historic charges. No decision has been made yet,” she says.

The Council handled a record 1,181 resource consent decisions, and building consents rose 35% to 2,973.

“Growth brings real opportunity, but it also puts pressure on roads, water, community facilities and everyday services like rubbish and recycling. Those everyday services are what most people judge us on, so that’s where our focus is. We’ve made a start, but there’s still a lot to do.”

The full Annual Report and summary document will be publicly available online and at Selwyn Libraries by the end of November.

ENDS


At a glance: key highlights for the year-ended 30 June 2026

  • Community facility visits: 1,102,866 visits to libraries, service centres and pools, up 6% from 1,041,289 in 2024/25.
  • Resident satisfaction: 96.8% of residents satisfied with Council facilities, up from 95% in 2024/25.
  • Road maintenance: 13,515km of unsealed roads graded (up 15%) and 90km of sealed roads resurfaced (up from 84km).
  • ReUse shop success. In its first full year of operation, the ReUse shop diverted nearly 100 tonnes of reusable items from landfill. Located at the Pines Resource Recovery Park, it gives quality items a second life.
  • Upper Selwyn Huts Deed of Licence. The Council worked with the Upper Selwyn Huts community to reset the relationship, rebuilding trust through open dialogue, ongoing engagement and listening to community concerns. This approach informed the 30-year Deed of Licence and supported constructive discussions about future management and waste services.
  • Lincoln Town Centre upgrade. Now well underway, this upgrade is supporting Lincoln’s growth from a rural township to a thriving town centre. It is being delivered in four stages to ensure work is carried out safely and efficiently, and to minimise disruption to businesses.
  • West Melton Community and Recreation Centre. Construction started on eight new tennis and netball courts, responding to growing demand at one of the district’s busiest reserves.
  • Selwyn Water Limited. Established New Zealand’s first water services Council-Controlled Organisation created under the Government’s Local Water Done Well legislation.
  • Tārerekautuku Yarrs Lagoon. Work to restore one of Canterbury’s largest freshwater wetlands is well underway. Progress included significant pest and predator control, and revegetation of the area with more than 12,000 plants.
  • Kakaha Park. The Council purchased an additional two hectares of land for this Prebbleton project. It will provide more recreation space for people and dogs in this fast-growing area.
  • Biodiversity. The Council established new biodiversity covenants and launched the Predator Free Selwyn 2050 Fund. It also supported 72 community biodiversity projects through the Selwyn Natural Environment Fund.
  • Stormwater planning and activity prioritised. To help reduce the risk of flooding, the Council began investigations in townships with known risk, including Southbridge, Leeston, Doyleston, Lincoln, Springfield, Hororātā and Tai Tapu.
  • Getting the basics right for customers and the community. The Council progressed work to improve the customer experience, including rolling out capital works tools, new digital tools and systems, and training to build employee skills and collaboration across the organisation.
  • Land Information Memorandum (LIM) digital process improvements. These cut manual work by 30% and almost halved average processing times.

Last modified: 06 Nov 2026 11:18am