Report reflects highs, lows of council’s year

Invercargill's annual report was formally adopted at a city council meeting this week, detailing highs and lows for the city.

Council chief executive Michael Day began his official comment in the document by saying it had been a "challenging financial year".

The council had faced high local government inflation, additional work and regulatory change which impacted operations, he said.

But Mr Day was pleased the council had managed to meet 71% of its levels of service — down just 1% from last year.

The report listed a range of achievements from November 2024 to June 2025, including the opening of Bluff Adventure Park (Te Wahi Tākaro o Motupōhue), progress on Te Unua Museum of Southland, Queens Park gaining national accreditation, CCTV rollout, and infrastructure upgrades.

As for the numbers, the council’s total assets had increased to $1.56 billion while liabilities sat at $182.1 million.

The report also noted rates revenue had slowly increased over the past five years while subsidies and grant revenue had reduced since 2021/22.

Mayor Tom Campbell said at a Tuesday meeting the adoption of an annual report was one of the weightiest accountabilities for a council.

He acknowledged in a statement the past financial year was not without challenges.

"But we’ve balanced progress with prudence, and that’s something to be proud of."

The report noted the council had worked with rūnaka on projects and continued to work with Te Ao Mārama Inc to meet both legislative responsibilities and Takata Whenua needs and interests.

It also gave a brief overview of the city.

Invercargill was home to an estimated 57,600 people, with the district's area encompassing just under 50,000ha.

The climate was described as mild, with an average annual temperature of 9.9°C, 1614 sunshine hours and annual average rainfall of 1112mm.

• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.