Information about Rates

1 April 2020

Installment Four Rates Notices – Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world’s situation dramatically.

• Councils are responsible for providing a number of services that are essential to keeping people healthy and safe throughout the Level 4 Lockdown and beyond.
• These services include ensuring households have safe drinking water, that the waste water system keeps operating, rubbish is collected, public transport is available to get essential workers to work, burials and cemeteries can take place, essential roading and safety repairs are made, emergency services (Civil Defence) are on hand, and flood protection is being monitored.
• Council staff that are not needed to keep essential services operating have been deployed to back-up and support these services.
• Your rates are what pays for these staff and services to keep operating and help our community stay healthy and safe.
• The Government has provided a large package to support people’s incomes, including working with banks to provide mortgage holidays. People who have lost their jobs or are on reduced incomes may qualify for the Accommodation Supplement administered by the Ministry of Social Development through Work and Income.
• Please do not just stop paying your rates or cancel your direct debit. If rates are not paid then our recovery will be slower, more painful and more expensive next year.
• If you are experiencing hardship, please contact us to discuss and arrange a payment plan.
• Remember that there are other places that you can go to get help, including your bank.

Ways to pay your property rates

• Set up a direct debit payment for your property rates. Direct Debit form available online.
• Pay property rates online using a credit or debit card.
• Set up an automatic payment for property rates.
• Telephone banking through your bank.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our rates officer rates.officer@westlanddc.govt.nz or phone 03 756 9036.

Stay safe online – Covid-19

1 April 2020

Keep yourself safe online during Covid-19

A number of scams are known to be circulating following the Covid-19 outbreak. It’s important to keep ourselves digitally safe as well as protecting our health. Make sure that you and your family are aware of how to spot an online scam and how to report it.

An online scam is any scheme designed to trick people out of money or steal their personal information that uses, or is delivered via, digital communications. Here are a few tell-tale signs you might be being caught up in a COVID-19 scam:

• Being asked for passwords– legitimate organisations will never ask for the passwords to your online accounts
• Needing to verify your account or details– don’t respond or click on any links in the communication even if it looks like it’s from a real organisation
• Unusual ways to pay for something– scammers try to use payments that can’t be traced such as pre-loaded debit cards, gift cards, bitcoins, iTunes cards or money transfer systems
• Asking for remote access to your device– never do this unless you have actively sought out the service they are providing
• Pressuring you to make a decision quickly– this could be to avoid something bad (e.g. account being closed, trouble with the IRD) or to take advantage of something good (a deal or investment)
• Contact that is out of the blue– even if the person says they’re from a legitimate organisation like your bank, health or internet provider

The best thing you can do if you notice any of the signs above is to stop, get some advice or look for more information. If the person contacting you has said that they are from a legitimate organisation and you’re not sure, you can also contact that organisation to check.

Make sure that you use the phone number or email they have on their official website or in the phone book – and do not use the one given by the person or in the email they have sent you.

Visit Netsafe for more information about this and other online safety advice.

Community Grants – Covid 19

1 April 2020

Ministry of Social Development COVID-19 Community Awareness and Preparedness Grant Fund

As part of the Government’s response to COVID-19, new funding is being prioritised to support community efforts on the ground. We recognise there are community groups and individuals doing critical work in the fight against COVID-19. This funding will allow them to continue to support their communities and help them through challenges they may face in the coming months.

What is the Grant Fund for and who can apply?
The Community Awareness and Preparedness Grant fund is available to Community based groups that are or will be providing essential community-led solutions to support local resilience and community wellbeing during the period of Covid-19 – Alert Level 4.

Grants allocated from the Fund will be one-off with priority being given to requests that support Maori, Pacific, older people, people with disabilities, people with current significant health considerations, migrant communities and people who are rurally isolated.

For more information, visit Community Awareness and Preparedness Grant Fund.

Creative New Zealand Emergency Response Package

Creative New Zealand’s Emergency Response Package will initially have two components:

• Resilience Grants for eligible artists, arts practitioners, arts groups and arts organisations (non-investment clients) who we know are suffering, to help them recover, maintain and develop their practice in a completely changed environment.
• Short-term Relief for Investment Clients – open to existing investment clients, and on top of existing funding, with priority given to those materially negatively impacted by COVID-19, to help them stabilise their businesses and remain viable.

See the Creative New Zealand factsheet for more information.

Photo by Karim MANJRA on Unsplash

Recent Government Announcements and Advice – Covid-19

1 April 2020

Updated advice on non-food essential purchases

Can I buy non-food essential products like heaters, blankets or whiteware?

The Government has announced that businesses will be able to sell essential non-food consumer products, within the next few days, if they can do so online or over the phone and deliver in a contactless way.

Essential products cover only those products that keep people warm, replace key household appliances, and maintain people’s health. They may include, for example, blankets, heaters, kitchenware and appliances, whiteware, computer equipment, and mobile phones.

Shops will not be open for businesses to sell or for customers to collect these products.

Freight services and couriers need to be able to focus on the delivery of essential goods. Purchasing retail products online from overseas, such as clothing, will impact the flow of essential goods throughout New Zealand.

During the lockdown, please only buy what you need and be fair to others.

Find out more

What to do if you’re concerned about Level 4 Alert breaches

• Concerned members of the public can now report COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restriction breaches to Police by completing an online form.
• Please use the online form instead of calling Police. This helps keep our lines available to people that need urgent help, and will help ease the load on the non-emergency phone number.
• Use the online form to report isolation breaches or cases of businesses continuing to operate when they are not part of the essential workforce.
• Police will take the information reported online and make contact to remind those breaching the restrictions of  their responsibilities.
• Police continue to take the approach of educating and informing people of their responsibilities in the first instance, but will not hesitate to take enforcement action if people continue to ignore the restrictions.

Updates on supermarkets

• MBIE has been in regular contact with the supermarkets as people have raised concerns about pricing. The supermarkets have consistently assured MBIE that they are not hiking prices. If people are concerned, they are able to email pricewatch@mbie.govt.nz
• Rules around Easter trading have been announced. This will see supermarkets remain closed as usual on Good Friday (10 April), but will be open on Easter Sunday (12 April) to ensure people do not feel the need to panic buy.
• The closure on Good Friday will give staff an opportunity to have a well-deserved rest and give supermarkets the chance to restock their shelves.

Updated advice on Funerals and Tangi

Only people from the same self-isolation bubble as the deceased person can go to the funeral home and cemetery with the deceased, and only if these are in the same region. Talk with your funeral director about specific arrangements, including how to keep your physical distance.

This applies to all deceased persons, regardless of when and where they died, or the cause of death.

It includes gatherings at burials, cremations, memorial services, open or closed caskets or viewings, funeral wakes, processions or receptions and social gatherings, both indoors and outdoors.

Full details here.