Nelson City Council 2023/2024 Annual Report

​Each year in June Council produces its Annual Plan, which outlines the activities that we will undertake during the following 12 months. At the end of the year, we produce a second document, our Annual Report, which includes a detailed set of audited financial statements.

The Annual Report presents the detail of how successful we were in meeting our goals for that year, what we did well and where we can improve. It also includes the income Council has generated, and how much money it spent.

As well as the full Annual Report, we also produce a summary that gives a condensed overview of the key findings and provides a snapshot of Council’s performance.

You can read the full Annual Report 2023/24 and summary at nelson.govt.nz. Copies are also available to view at all Council libraries, and the Customer Service Centre.

Performance Measures
The Annual Report also provides an update on Council’s nonfinancial performance against key performance measures across 11 activity areas that were set in the 2021–2031 Long Term Plan. The results present us with a high-level view of the organisation’s performance.
In 2023/24 Council has successfully achieved over 80% of the targets with an additional 10% substantially achieved, which is an improvement on last year’s result.

Council highlights 2023/2024
Here are a few of the things we have achieved this year:

• Council made significant progress in storm recovery, investing $17.9 million in 2023/24 to repair infrastructure and enhance resilience. A $12.3 million Government support package is helping fund repairs.
• In April 2024, Council approved a two-way road concept for the Bridge to Better Bridge Street project. Design work has progressed through 2023/24 and will continue in 2024/25
• Project Mahitahi planted 27,795 trees, maintained 1.82 hectares of weed control, and completed trapping over 128 hectares. It also employed four conservation rangers. 
• The Nelson Waste Recovery Centre reduced landfill waste by 7.9% over the past year (31% over four years) while increasing recycling and green waste diversion. 
• Council decided to transition its 600 hectares of commercial forestry to a continuous canopy forest system, managing over 10,000 hectares of reserves as a unified, multi-purpose forest. 
• In 2023/24, Nelson City Council supported two national kapa haka competitions, Te Mana Kuratahi and Ngā Kapa Haka Tuarua o Aotearoa, attracting over 25,000 attendees.
• In June 2024, the Te Tauihu Community Development Agency was established with support from Nelson City Council, appointing its first trustees to strengthen the community sector.
• In 2023/24, Marina Masterplan work began with upgrades to the straddle lift, boatyard, and promenade design, supported by a $1.13 million Tourism Infrastructure Fund grant.
• The Sunday Hole boardwalk upgrade, delayed by the August 2022 storm, was completed in June 2024. The $475,000 project, funded in part by a $204,000 grant, included pathway repairs and flood-resilient features.
• The new eBus service launched in Nelson and Tasman on 1 August 2023 and has now been operating for more than a year. Over 2023/24 the eBus has carried 902,897 passengers – almost double the 454,943 passengers carried by the previous service over the year.
• Council delivered 19 events or event series in 2023/24, attracting an estimated 43,000 attendees. Notably, the Tuku 24 heritage festival drew 18,000 people to 120 events. 
• Plan Change 29, focusing on housing and hazards, received 884 submissions and 78 further submissions, marking significant progress in updating the Nelson Resource Management Plan.
• Nelson City Council successfully delivered two Matariki events. The 2024 celebration at Trafalgar Park, co-hosted with Ngā Iwi e Waru o Te Tauihu, drew over 10,000 people, raising over $12,000 in koha for Te Kōtahi o Te Tauihu and Youth Nelson. 
• The Science and Environment Integrated Catchments team surveyed waterways, mapped 150 wetlands, held 26 events, planted 40,000 plants, and added two schools to the Enviroschools Programme in 2023/24.
• Council made significant progress on climate action in 2023/24, surpassing its target by achieving an 89% reduction in emissions since 2017/18, largely due to improved methane capture at the landfill.