Annual Plans

Mahere ā-tau

The Council prepares a Long Term Plan every three years. In each of the two interim years, we prepare an Annual Plan. This determines the specific projects, resourcing and budgets for each year ahead. This is a statutory process defined by the Local Government Act 2002.

Quick links

Annual Plan 2026-2027 consultation

User fees and charges

Development Contributions

Community funding

Past Annual Plans

Any questions?

Annual Plan 2026-2027 consultation

The draft Annual Plan 2026–2027 is now open for consultation - visit our Let’s Talk page to explore what’s proposed and share your views.

User fees and charges

Council provides a range of user pays services throughout the district. These include services like processing building or resource consents, environmental health, access to sport and recreation or community facilities, venue hire, dog registration, and carparking.

Consultation is underway as part of the current draft Annual Plan process. Visit Let's Talk to make a submission.

Changes to Development Contributions Policy 2026-2027

Development Contribution fees do not offset rates. They are one-off fees paid by people developing their land to help cover the capital costs for new infrastructure needed as the district grows.

QLDC’s Development Contributions Policy guides how these fees are set. It is generally reviewed, consulted on and adopted every three years as part of the Long Term Plan (LTP) process.

The Local Government Act 2002 allows Council to update the policy annually (ahead of the LTP process) to account for annual inflation, in line with the Producers Price Index (PPI) outputs for construction. The annual change between December 2023 and December 2025 was 3.8%. This has been used as a proxy for two years inflation as it is the latest data available at the time this work was prepared.

The government’s ‘granny flat consent exemption’ came into effect this year, meaning homeowners can build small standalone dwellings without full building consent, if specific conditions are met. Ahead of the full policy review, the Local Government Act provides transitional arrangements allowing councils to charge development contributions for granny flats to support additional demand on local infrastructure.

Check out the changes to the Development Contributions Policy for 2026-2027 below:

>> Updated Development Contributions Policy 2026-2027

>> Table of changes to Development Contributions Policy for 2026-2027

Community funding

While the Annual Plan will not be subject to formal consultation, you can still apply for the following grants through a separate process:

Community Fund: Supports not-for-profits, charities and community groups to enhance local wellbeing outcomes. Open 1-30 April 2026.
Heritage Incentive Grant: Supports anyone looking to preserve or enhance a listed heritage asset (natural and built) in the Queenstown Lakes District. Open 1-30 April 2026.
Events Fund: Helps deliver vibrant, inclusive events that benefit our community. Open 1-30 April 2026.
Waste Minimisation Community Fund: Supports initiatives that promote sustainable use of resources and waste reduction. Open 1-30 April 2026.

Mark your calendars and start preparing your applications!

Go to community funding page