Mel Cupit - Gore District Councillor

18/09/2026

Thank you to the 3627 people who signed the petition - have a listen as Groundswell NZ present it to Mayor Bell at Council today 🌸 have a look at photo in comments / that is the height the floor level of the council building would need to be if built under the new proposed District Plan rules !

16/09/2026

🌸rate review update🌸 this is what we discussed at yesterdays council meeting. A good look at our method of rating hasn’t been done since 2014-15 so is well overdue; and I am thankful to staff for the hours of work that has gone into looking at our system and identifying areas to simplify, as well as make it more fair & equitable. This is all being remodelled and put into a document which will come to the community for feedback next month. But a couple of things I can share is that the categories have been simplified eg. No lifestyle (now either under 8ha residential and over 8ha rural); and no separate category for Mataura. And also note - the example below is with Water Rates removed … from 1.7.2027 you’ll get a separate water rate invoice from Southern Water on top of these GDC rates 🌸 EDIT note that these numbers are averages and there will be ups and downs, when we consult there will be a calculator available to check your actual property and see the real impact🌸

14/09/2026

🌸September Council Meeting tomorrow🌸
Reasonably light agenda … the main point of interest will be our debate on a report with options for community consultation on updating the Revenue & Financing Policy (a review of the methods used to calculate rates). GDC hasn’t done a full rating review since 2014-15 🌸 I will update you after tomorrows meeting. Will link agenda in comments if you want to read more!

11/09/2026

Isn’t this awesome news … check your power bills, apparently most of Gore is covered! The discount is based on electricity use over the past year. The Power Company Ltd says a household that used 12,000kWh of electricity would receive a discount of about $276.

Over 38,000 Southland and West Otago households will receive a share of an $11.7m power bill discount this spring from The Power Company Ltd.

10/09/2026

🌸GO GORE🌸 latest stats received show our Gore District’s economy faced broad-based and strong
growth, with expansion across most industries and
overall growth of 3.0% in the year to June 2026! Our economy grew nearly twice as fast as the national economy, which grew 1.7%.

07/09/2026

🌸in my opinion🌸 This is what happens when bureaucrats make decisions without talking to the people at grass roots … without thinking through how changes will actually work in a real-life situation 🌸 this is a very real concern for our community and is stopping building and development NOW. Will post story in comments. 🙏 Hoping our construction industry can hang-in there until it’s sorted in the appeal process. ODT 8.9.26

06/09/2026

🌸Wishing a very Happy Father’s Day 🌸 to all the dads and father figures in the Gore District, you make our community such a great place to live 💙

05/09/2026

… good news is this part of the proposed District Plan is being appealed …let’s hope common sense prevails and our builders and developers can get back to being busy 🌸 (for transparency; back in February I declared a conflict here because I volunteer for Groundswell, and have to remove myself from District Plan discussions at council 🙂)

Millions of dollars in development hang in the balance as strict flood hazard rules choke Gore's construction sector.

04/09/2026

!! Gore’s new Post Office opened in
December 1902 🌸 In 1906 the clock and chimes were installed in the clock tower, which was taken down around 1945 because it was considered an earthquake risk. However; the clock parts were salvaged and preserved- being installed in our current clock tower, when it was constructed in 1991 🌸 folk in the photo off to meet the train do you think?!

31/08/2026

🌸WEDNESDAY this week at 10am I am filling in for Mayor Bell 😁 and doing the Bookings with Ben meetings … use the link below to book your spot for a chat, I’d love to see you 🌸

Our mayor is dedicated to making it easier for you to connect with the Council. He's set aside an hour each week for chats, so if you have thoughts on community events, questions about projects, or concerns about your street, he'd love to chat with you. Meetings are in 15-minute slots to ensure ever...