It is hoped questions will flood in, for the first in a series of online council-run Q&A sessions around planning for the future, which focuses on water.

In preparation for the 2024-25 Annual Plan, and looking ahead to the 2025-34 Long Term Plan, the Waitaki District Council is hosting a series of Q&A webinars over the next seven weeks.

The first will be held via Facebook Live tomorrow (Tuesday, March 19) at 7pm and cover the three water networks owned and maintained by the council - drinking, waste and storm waters - and the future cost to upgrade them all.

A short explainer video about this, and subsequent issues will be on the council Facebook page prior to each session, and community members can ask questions in the comments section, or submit them during the webinar.

Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher says this is not a normal annual plan, due to the challenges of increased costs and rates affordability for the community.

“We are not alone when it comes to the challenges facing our district by the significantly higher standards for water services - many councils are working hard to find ways to do the required work and keep rates affordable.

“This Q&A is a chance for the community to find out more about their water network. We’re looking forward to talking about roads, affordability and service levels in the coming weeks.”

Along with the explainer videos, the council will also be setting the record straight around any misconceptions to with the different topics each week.

There will also be a series of community conversations in Palmerston, Ōamaru, Duntroon and Omarama in April once consultation opens for the Annual Plan.