A big year for Palmy: Annual Report now formally adopted
Published on 10 October 2025
Palmerston North City Council’s Annual Report for 2024–25 has been formally adopted this week, giving our community a clear picture of how we’ve performed and how we’ve managed the city’s financial and non-financial performance over the past year.
Despite cost pressures and a challenging environment, we’ve delivered strongly for Palmerston North
From major infrastructure upgrades to community projects that make everyday life better, we’ve made real progress while keeping our finances in good shape.
Chief Executive Waid Crockett says the audited report demonstrates the effort that has gone into getting things done.
"It’s been a big year for Palmerston North, and while we acknowledge the challenges the community faces, we have achieved a huge amount together.
"We’ve renewed and upgraded the city’s assets, improved our services, and invested in projects that really make a difference in people’s lives. At the same time, we’ve kept a close eye on our finances so we can plan ahead with confidence. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and grateful for the commitment of our elected members, staff, partners and community in making it happen."
Most Council spending went on the services and facilities people rely on every day
Roading was the largest expense at $31.9 million, followed by recreation and play, which includes maintaining our parks, reserves, walkways and facilities like Central Energy Trust Arena. Other major areas of investment included housing and wastewater.
We also invested $27.5 million in new capital projects, which is less than what was planned, reflecting a careful and considered approach to project delivery.
A highlight of the year was receiving a clear audit opinion from Audit New Zealand, the first in five years.
Mr Crockett says this is a turning point for Council.
“To get a clean audit opinion after five years is a fantastic result. The issues that had caused concern in previous years were around some of our internal systems and processes. As we’ve invested in new systems and worked on our processes we’re able to demonstrate that we are recording complaints more accurately as well as ensuring our legislative processing times are captured appropriately. The community can feel confident that we are on the right track.
“There’s still plenty of work to do, but we’re in a stronger position to keep moving forward together.
The full Annual Report is now available at our Customer Service Centre and on our website.
Annual Report 2024-25(PDF, 21MB)