At a marathon council meeting on Tuesday, elected members voted to retain key community halls in Ophir, Becks, Clyde, Millers Flat, Ranfurly, Naseby and Poolburn.
The decision followed a record-setting agenda spanning more than 5000 pages and more than 1200 submissions, many from passionate rural residents.
The community response was so strong several councillors cited the public’s voice as the driving factor behind their decisions.
Cr Sarah Browne summed it up: "We put it out there and said, ‘We can save money’, and they [submitters] said, ‘No, don’t do it."’
She acknowledged while national directives pushed councils towards focusing on core infrastructure, local sentiment showed the social fabric created by these halls was equally vital.
Ophir Welfare Committee chairman Garry Price said the outcome was a relief.
"It is the heart of the community, where we hold weddings, functions and funerals," he said.
While "very happy" with the decision, he noted that maintenance and earthquake strengthening would still be required to keep the hall viable.
Poolburn School principal Melissa Gare said the council’s decision was "absolutely what we wanted".
Poolburn School is one of the main users of its local hall, and she said the facility was irreplaceable for the small rural school.
Pupils at the school had submitted their own pleas to the council — both in person and in writing — arguing for the hall’s value, some also tuning in to watch the council’s decision live.
"They saw that their work was not for nothing, that their voice was heard," she said.
"It was great to see them understand how democracy and creating change works."
However, the future of halls in Patearoa, Waipiata and Wedderburn remains uncertain.
The council has opted to divest itself of these buildings, subject to further engagement with communities about potential ownership models.
In Waipiata, publican Mark Button acknowledged the logistical challenges of maintaining a little-used hall in a town with a permanent population of about 20.
"It used to be used a lot by the darts club, but they had licensing issues," he said.
Despite limited use now, there was still strong community support to keep the hall, and locals planned to meet soon to discuss their options, Mr Button said.
In addition to decisions on community halls, the council made several other high-impact commitments.
It agreed to take over the Ida MacDonald Roxburgh Pool — if asked to do so by the pool committee — and granted a two-year reprieve for the outdoor pool in Alexandra.
Meanwhile, funding was allocated to three artificial turf projects: $1.6 million to the Manuherekia Valley Community Hub, $300,000 to Dunstan High School and $200,000 to Maniototo Area School.
But financial pressures are mounting.
The plan includes a substantial hike in volumetric water charges — from 60 cents to $1.60 per cubic metre in year one, rising to $2.40 in year 2.
Mayor Tamah Alley opened the meeting by noting the scale of the challenge: "This is the biggest agenda I’ve ever seen."
The draft long-term plan, which proposes a 13% average rates increase, will direct council priorities for the next decade and is scheduled to be formally adopted on June 25.
Infrastructure remains a dominant focus, comprising nearly half the projected rates increase in year 1.
"We’re being told [by the government] to stick to our knitting and core business, but what we’re hearing from our rural communities very clearly is that social fabric is just as important as core infrastructure," Cr Browne said.
