And it is Not a grocer, a fuel stop, a bank or any of the popular Aunt Sallys Politicians love to hate on for a mirage to appear to care about to electors.

It is Bloody governments central and local who never grasp any degree of financial probity.

Google tells me My local authority Selwyn District and Regional Ecan never ever hold rates demands at zero. Selwyn District has averaged just under 7% and Ecan slightly less over the last decade while Inflation has been less than half that until The Mad Fudge Packer imagined he could grow money on a tree.

I am not sufficiently Neanderthal to believe zero rate increase is achievable but any figure exceeding inflation is just not necessary.
I posted recently on the army of highly paid officials necessary to run Selwyn District council who I will guess do not serve ratepayers at an income below nz$100 000, I do know from Google Mayor Sam enjoys almost nz$150 000 as Mayor plus another 100k as “president” of Local Govt NZ.
Service that once was performed as donated time in the case of the elected and the average wage for employees.

Increasingly all such local government are using a system of declaring a want list that threatens a rate rise above 25%. that will never eventuate then in massive cost cutting and virtue signalling aplenty it is cut back to something seen to perhaps be accepted, all to often by deleting services the people do actually desire while leaving the reelection strategies in place for the drones sitting at council table being schooled by the amateur Sir Humphrey CEO on survival.

Hey Ms Willis I can avoid in various ways, all the alleged price gouging from grocers, fuel stops, banks or any of the business entities that threaten my economic survival but it is well known that to decline paying a rates demand will always end in tears and the courts because they are a bloody monopoly with legislative recourse aplenty to dissolve recalcitrant ratepayers into bankruptcy?