Government plans to cap council rates rises at 4 percent

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced a plan to cap annual local council rates rises at 4 percent. "We have seen excessive rate increases, and we're not prepared to tolerate that," Willis said. The announcement follows StatsNZ figures showing annual inflation at 4.1 percent, with council rates up 9 percent. Labour's Carmel Sepuloni accused the government of deflecting blame onto councils.