Council performance reports show Ashburton District Council is on par with similar councils across a range of measures, and with fewer staff.

The reports, recently released by Local Government Minister Simon Watts, compares financial data from Ashburton District Council against 21 other councils with populations ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 residents.

Council chief executive Hamish Riach said that while direct comparisons can be difficult due to geographical and social differences, the results show Ashburton District Council performs well in delivering core services while operating with fewer staff than many other councils.

“The report highlights our focus on delivering core infrastructure, with roading, drinking water and wastewater accounting for more than 70 per cent of capital spending in 2024/25.

“That proportion increases further in 2025/26, when we estimate in our draft annual report that roading and water expenditure may account for approximately 85 per cent of our capital spend.”

“This reflects a council that is focused on doing the basics well and ensuring we have the roads, pipes and treatment plants needed to support our growing district.”

The report showed the district's population grew by 1.1 per cent from 2024 to 2025, more than double the group median of 0.5 per cent.

And Mid Canterbury's population is forecast to grow from 37,400 to around 47,950 residents over the next 30 years.

Despite the growth and increased demand on infrastructure, Riach said council continued to operate efficiently.

“We can see that our staffing level of 214 full-time equivalent staff is well below the group median of 362 full-time equivalent staff.”

Hamish said council also had a very strong credit position by New Zealand provincial council standards, and had maintained an AA+ credit rating from Fitch every year since 2020.

“We note that our net debt-to-revenue ratio was above the group median, but a large portion of that debt reflects capital investment in upgrading our drinking water infrastructure.”

Key figures

Roading accounted for 33.4 per cent of Ashburton's capital spending, compared with the group median of 30.4 per cent.

Population growth was 1.1 per cent, well above the group median of 0.5 per cent.

Council invested $32.4 million in capital projects in 2024/25.

Ashburton's rates revenue increased by 12.2 per cent in 2024/25, compared with the group median of 14.3 per cent.