Council Policies

The purpose of this policy is to set out, in accordance with section 57 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA), an objective and transparent process for the:  

1. identification and considerations of the skills, knowledge and experience required of directors to a Council Organisation (CO); and  
2. appointment of directors to a Council Organisation; and  
3. remuneration of directors of a Council Organisation.  

The purpose of the policy is to:

• ensure the Council and the community have an influence over the provision and location of new gambling venues in the City,
• ensure that the provision of class 4 gaming machines is not the primary purpose of these venues,
• ensure that gaming machines and TABs are located within venues where there is a degree of supervision and control of those using them, in order to help reduce the risk of problem gambling,
• minimise the harm to the community caused by problem gambling, and
• allow the community to have access to gambling venues for entertainment purposes, and to benefit from the proceeds which they generate.

Applications for new machines and/or venues 

If you wish to increase the number of Pokie machines at a venue, or open a new TAB or Pokie venue, you must first apply to Upper Hutt City Council using the following application form, and pay the appropriate fee at the time of submitting your application.

Application form for local authority consent for gambling venues

Please refer to the Schedule of Fees and Charges for the fees associated with a Class 4 Gaming venue (Pokies) and/or TAB New Zealand venues licence.

Once Council have approved your application, you will then need to apply to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA)

For more information on gambling please refer to the Department of Internal Affairs website - dia.govt.nz

The purpose of the Community Grants Scheme is to support the development of a positive, healthy city by contributing financially to local organisations which strengthen the community support network in Upper Hutt.

The Local Government Act 2002, section 6, defines a council-controlled organisation (CCO) as one in which a Council or group of Councils controls more than 50% of the voting rights, or the power to appoint more than 50% of trustees or directors.

Upper Hutt City Council has three CCOs:

• Whirinaki Whare Taonga (Whirinaki) is a CCO because Council has the right to appoint 50% or more of the trustees.
• Te Aka o te Kupenga Maidstone Park Trust (Te Aka o te Kupenga) is a CCO because Council has the right to appoint 50% or more of the trustees.
• Wellington Water Limited (WWL) is a CCO because one or more local authorities hold more than 50% of the shares in the company.

Learn about Council-Controlled Organisations

The Dangerous Insanitary and Affected building policy was adopted by Council on 11 December 2024.

The purpose of this policy is to identify how dangerous, affected and insanitary buildings in the Upper Hutt district will be managed and regulated, in order to reduce the risk of injury, death, ill health or damage that may occur as a result of dangerous and/or insanitary buildings.

Under sections 131 and 132A of the Building Act 2004 (the Act), all territorial authorities are required to adopt a policy on dangerous, affected and insanitary buildings. Upper Hutt City Council adopted such a policy in 2006 and subsequently amended the policy in 2017. The 2017 amendment removed Earthquake Prone Buildings following changes required by the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016. In 2013, the Building Act was amended to require Councils to also consider affected buildings in their policies.

The Building Act also specifically recognises that heritage buildings may require a variation to such an approach if their particular heritage values are to be maintained and not compromised. For instance, Council can consider dispensations and waivers for issues of safety and sanitary conditions for heritage buildings and consider lateral or innovative approaches to achieving the desired level of compliance.

The policy document is divided into two parts:

• Dangerous and affected buildings, and
• Insanitary buildings

Current Development Contribution policy(PDF, 1MB)

Population and business growth create the need for new subdivisions and developments, and these place increasing demands on the assets and services provided by Council. As a result, significant investment in new or upgraded assets and services is required. 

The purpose of the Policy is to ensure that a fair, equitable, and proportionate share of the cost of that infrastructure is funded by development. Council intends to achieve this by using:

• Development contributions under the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) to help fund growth related capital expenditure on transport and district wide benefiting community infrastructure in the city; and
• Financial contributions under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), primarily to help fund growth related reserve and local leisure facilities, such as playgrounds.

Previous Development Contribution policies

View Council's Development and Financial Contributions Policy 2023 - 2024 here.(PDF, 1MB)

View the UHCC Development Contribution Policy 1 July 2018 - 30 June 2023 here(PDF, 942KB)

The intent of this Policy is to keep dogs as a positive part of the lives of people in Upper Hutt by:

• adopting measures to minimise the problems caused by dogs,
• protecting dogs from harm, and ensuring their welfare,
• maintaining balanced opportunities for owners to exercise their dogs in public places.

This policy enables shops in Upper Hutt to trade on Easter Sunday if they wish. This policy is made under subpart 1 of Part 2 of the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 which provides Council with the power to establish a local policy giving shops the option to trade on Easter Sunday in the whole or parts of the Upper Hutt District.

It is important that our Elected Members can attend to Council business when required and are equipped with the right tools to help them in their governing role.

Our Elected Members can claim some expenses and are provided an allowance for specifics such as travel, parking, childcare, ICT usage and hearings.

Each  year  the  Remuneration  Authority  sets  the  remuneration  and  allowances  for  all  elected members through the Local Government Members Determination.  

Once  every  three  years,  in  the  year  of  local  authority  elections,  Council will  review  the  Elected  Members’ Expenses and Allowances Policy.

Council will also make changes to the Policy each year based on the Local Government Members Determination that is issued by the Remuneration Authority.