Rugby Commentator, Radio Host and
Youth Mentor
Between September 2019 and June 2025, Hamilton City Council’s debt has soared from $344 million (Note 1) to approximately $1.2 billion (Note 2) an increase of $856 million over just 5 years and 9 months (or roughly 2,100 days). That’s an average of more than $407,000 of new debt added Every Single Day, under the guidance of the current elected councillors.
This isn't just an alarming number, it's a warning sign that financial management and spending priorities have veered dangerously off course.
A 249% Rise in Council Debt Levels
This rise in debt is an extraordinary surge that far, far, exceeds the growth of the city’s population, inflation, or even reasonable planned infrastructure investment plans.
While some level of borrowing is expected to fund long-term development, this scale of debt growth demands closer scrutiny from both council and the community.
Where has the Money Gone?
Rather than focusing on the essential day-to-day needs of a growing city including well-maintained roads, footpaths, drainage, community centres, and sports facilities, vast sums have been channelled into controversial traffic-calming projects, high-spec developments, speed hump installations, and costly street narrowing and speed calming making them difficult for emergency services to navigate.
It is not so much the need for these projects, but how much they are costing that is alarming. $700,000 to move a bus stop (Note 3). The new water CCO’s setup costs blowing out by $1.3m before an inch of drain is set in the ground (Note 4). A single pedestrian crossing costing over $900,000 (including contingencies). We have less than 60,000 residential ratepayers in Hamilton and these huge costs largely fall on them. Many ratepayers are rightly questioning whether we are getting value for our money, or whether interest bearing borrowing is being used to fund projects with limited public benefit relative to their exorbitant price tags.
Are the Basics Being Left Behind?
Hamilton residents are feeling the consequences. Reports of deteriorating roads, underfunded community services, and delayed maintenance projects are growing all while council spending continues to rise. The shift away from efficient investments in controlled infrastructure and community services is not just frustrating, it's fiscally irresponsible.
It’s Time for a Complete Change!
The facts are sobering:
Debt increase: $856 million
Approximate average increase per day: $407,000
Total percentage increase: 249% in under 6 years
Every dollar borrowed today is a dollar current and future generations will repay through higher rates, fewer services, or delayed progress and development.
Getting Back to What Matters!
Hamilton needs to reset its priorities. That means focusing on cost-efficient core infrastructure, maintaining the basics, and investing where the community sees real value in sports fields, libraries, arts facilities, footpaths, community safety, community centres and everyday essentials.
This is not about politics, it’s about responsibility. Leadership should be measured not by how much is spent, but by how wisely it is spent. Our elected representatives need to listen and follow the will of the people. We must determine what Hamiltonians value and provide transparent cost breakdowns so that we can all make informed decisions on where to invest our limited resources.
At over $400,000 in new debt every day, residents deserve clear answers, full and complete transparency on spending, and a shift back to common sense financial management that focuses on the needs of the residents and ratepayers.
The elected councillors had a choice and the majority of them, chose to vote on block and allow this spending to continue.
The only way to stem the flow of money is to deliver a complete change to the Council table .
Page 10 - a figure of $344,000,000 million is shown in the graph.
Page 121 - a figure of $1,236,000,000 billion is shown in the graph
Note 3: $700k to be spent moving Hamilton bus stop away from sex shop
Note 4: https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/360703051/hamilton-waikato-waters-establishment-costs-more-20
*This article originally included an image of a heavily redacted LGOIMA showing the Southwell pedestrian crossing costing $919,750 including contingencies. After our publication of this, and another article on the same subject, the council has notified us that they made an error and the true figure is $749,918 including contingencies.
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