Central Hawke's Bay District Council

What Central Hawke's Bay District Council does

Central Hawke's Bay District Council (CHBDC) is a territorial local government authority established in 1989 under New Zealand's Local Government Act 2002, serving approximately 15,000 residents across a 3,323 square kilometre district on the east coast of the North Island. The council is governed by an elected Mayor and Councillors and operated by ~98 staff, with its headquarters in Waipawa and a secondary service centre in Waipukurau. It delivers the full suite of statutory municipal services typical of a New Zealand district council: infrastructure (roads, water supply, wastewater, stormwater), building and resource consenting, animal control, alcohol licensing, libraries, cemeteries, rubbish and recycling, parking, community facilities, and rates administration.

The council's digital portfolio is built around the chbdc.govt.nz website as the primary service-delivery platform, complemented by the Community Engagement App (developed with MagiQ Software, in which CHBDC was the first adopter) for location-based notifications and citizen issue reporting, online self-service portals (My Property, Cemetery Database, Online Maps/GIS, Online Dog Registration, Online Bookings, Water Services), and the Let's Talk consultation platform. Back-office and commerce integrations include Windcave (PCI DSS payment gateway), Wufoo (online forms), Eftsure (supplier verification / fraud prevention), and the Kotui library system. Service delivery is multi-channel: in-person at council offices and libraries, online self-service, mobile app, and internet banking for rate payments.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: property rates billed in four annual instalments (subscription-style recurring), transaction-based fees and charges for regulatory services (building consents, resource consents, dog registration, LIM applications, parking fines), and central government funding and subsidies for infrastructure projects, most notably post-Cyclone Gabrielle recovery funding for water, stormwater, wastewater, and land transport. Customers are predominantly the district's residents and ratepayers (horizontal segment), with local businesses as a secondary segment accessing licensing, consenting, and economic development services. The council is mid-execution on its Three Year Plan 2024-2027, with infrastructure recovery and digital service expansion as the dominant strategic themes.

Name

Central Hawke's Bay District Council

Legal name

Central Hawke's Bay District Council

Website

https://chbdc.govt.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Central Hawke's Bay District Council is a New Zealand territorial authority established in 1989, serving approximately 15,000 residents across a 3,323 sq km district with statutory municipal services, digital self-service portals, and a mobile community engagement app, funded primarily by rates and government infrastructure grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE), Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Municipal administration
• Building consent services
• Rates and property services
• Community infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Waipawa

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Rates Revenue: Property rates collected from residential and commercial ratepayers within the district, typically collected in four instalments per financial year (July 1 to June 30). Rates fund core council services including infrastructure, community services, and resource management.
2. Fees and Charges: Various service fees including building consents, resource consents, dog registration, water rates, parking fines, LIM applications, and other regulatory services. These are one-time or periodic charges for specific services rendered.
3. Government Funding and Subsidies: Central government funding for infrastructure projects including land transport recovery (post-Cyclone Gabrielle), water infrastructure improvements, and other regional development programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Central Hawke's Bay District Council is a New Zealand local government authority providing statutory municipal services to residents and ratepayers of the Central Hawke's Bay district. Its core offerings include property rates administration, building and resource consents, animal services (dog registration), water/wastewater/stormwater management, roads and streets, rubbish and recycling, cemeteries, alcohol licensing, food and environmental health, library services, and community facilities such as retirement housing and halls.

Product overview

Central Hawke's Bay District Council operates as a local government authority offering a comprehensive suite of digital citizen services through its website and mobile applications. The digital portfolio is organized as a platform of interconnected online services rather than a unified product architecture. Core services include the Community Engagement App (developed with MagiQ Software) for notifications and issue reporting, Online Maps and GIS for spatial data access, Property and Rates services including My Property search and rating databases, Animal Services with online dog registration, Cemetery Database for burial records, Online Bookings for council facilities, Building Consents and Planning/Resource Consents for development applications, Water Services portal, and Library Services via Kotui. The council utilizes Windcave for payment processing across multiple services, Wufoo for online forms, and Eftsure for supplier verification. These services are accessed primarily through the chbdc.govt.nz website, with dedicated mobile app functionality for community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Consents and Inspections Online service for building consent applications, inspections, code compliance certificates, building warrants of fitness, and related building compliance services for property owners, builders, and developers.
• Planning and Resource Consents Online service for resource consent applications, pre-application meetings, objection and appeal processes, consent extensions, and publicly notified resource consents for property owners, developers, and applicants.
• Online Dog Registration Online service for dog owners to register dogs by 3 months of age and annually on July 1, update existing registrations, transfer ownership, and manage dog owner details.
• Water Services Portal Portal for water-related services including new water connections, drinking water information, water meters, water restrictions, wastewater, and stormwater management for district residents and businesses.
• Online Rates Information Database Database allowing users to look up rates information for Central Hawke's Bay properties, view current and historic rates information, and make online rates payments.
• My Property (Property Search)

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hawke's Bay TourismminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHawke's Bay Tourism is referenced in the council website navigation as a partner for tourism promotion. The council links to the Hawke's Bay Tourism website (hawkesbaynz.com) encouraging visitors to 'Visit Hawke's Bay'. This is a promotional partnership for regional tourism development.
• Hawke's Bay WaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHawke's Bay Water is a regional water entity referenced in council communications. The council links to the Hawke's Bay Water website (hbwater.nz) as part of water services information.
• MagiQ SoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationMagiQ Software developed the Community Engagement App which Central Hawke's Bay District Council was the first to roll out. The app enables targeted notifications, issue reporting, and community engagement. This is described as a collaboration to 'shape a new era of community engagement'.
• EftsurecoreTechnology or IntegrationCHBDC has partnered with Eftsure to verify supplier business and bank details before making payments. This protects against invoice fraud and cybercrime. All suppliers must register and verify details through Eftsure before being approved.
• Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaka Kotahi (NZTA) is partnered with the council for driver licensing services. The council's Te Huinga Wai facility in Waipukurau provides AA Driver Licensing services in partnership with Waka Kotahi for driver licensing, motor registration, and IDP services.
• AA (Automobile Association)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAA provides driver licensing services at the council's Te Huinga Wai facility in Waipukurau. Services include driver licensing, motor registration, IDP, AA membership, and map queries through Waka Kotahi.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rangitīkei District Council: Small rural district council with similar population size and service delivery model. Operates under the same NZ statutory framework with comparable consent, rates, and community service functions.
• Hastings District Council: Neighbouring Hawke's Bay territorial authority serving a similar mix of urban (Hastings/Napier corridor) and rural populations. Operates comparable services (consents, rates, water, libraries, community facilities) under the same NZ Local Government Act framework, making it the closest functional peer.
• Wairoa District Council: Another small Hawke's Bay/Northern Hawke's Bay-adjacent district council of similar scale and rural character. Also impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle and navigating comparable post-cyclone recovery and water reform pressures.
• Horowhenua District Council: Lower North Island district council of comparable size and demographic profile, delivering the same mix of consents, community facilities, and infrastructure services under the Local Government Act.
• Hawke's Bay Regional Council: Regional council covering the same geography as CHBDC, with responsibilities for regional planning, civil defence, and environmental management. Directly interacts with CHBDC on resource consenting, flood recovery, and water services, making it a structural counterparty as well as a peer.
• Tararua District Council: Small lower North Island district council with a similar population profile and rural/small-town mix. Faces comparable infrastructure and rates-base challenges, making it a useful operational benchmark for CHBDC.

Broad incumbents

• New Plymouth District Council: Larger Taranaki-based district council with a more developed digital service platform and broader rating base. Useful as an 'aspirational' peer for what CHBDC's digital roadmap could deliver at higher scale.
• Selwyn District Council: High-growth Canterbury district council recognized for digital service delivery to a fast-growing population. A benchmark peer for council-led digital transformation outcomes.

Others

• Local Government New Zealand: National membership organization representing NZ's 78 local authorities. Not a direct operating peer, but the central sector body setting policy, advocacy, and shared-service frameworks that govern how CHBDC operates.
• Hawke's Bay Water: Regional water services entity established to take over water, stormwater, and wastewater delivery across Hawke's Bay. Currently a strategic partner to CHBDC but a structural peer in shared water-service delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chbcouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/CHBDistrictCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-hawkes-bay-district-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/chbdistrictcouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Hawke's Bay District Council