Wellington can still choose fairer rates — councillors need to hear from you

Over the past few weeks, Wellingtonians have been emailing councillors in support of Land Value Rates.

If you’ve already sent an email: thank you. It genuinely matters.

But if you haven’t yet, now is a good time to do it.

Wellington City Council is still considering whether to move away from capital value rating and adopt Land Value Rates this year. This is a rare chance to make our rates system fairer, better for housing, and less punishing for people who improve their homes.

Council’s own analysis shows that around 60% of Wellingtonians would pay less under Land Value Rates.

But this change will only happen if councillors hear that people want it.

We’ve made it easy. On the Common Ground website, you can find your ward, see who your councillors are, and get some suggested points to include in your email.

Email your councillors here:

Land Value Rates are revenue neutral. They do not mean Council collects more overall. They simply change how the existing rates burden is shared — moving pressure away from homes, apartments, and productive buildings, and toward the underlying value of land.

That means fewer penalties for building, renovating, or making better use of well-located land. It also means a fairer deal for many households currently carrying more than their share under the capital value system.

If you support fairer rates for Wellington, please email your councillors today.

A few more messages could make a real difference.

P.S. If you would like to do more than just email, we will be doorknocking in the coming weeks to raise awareness of the policy. Send us an email at contact@common-ground.org.nz to get involved.