Invercargill’s annual report was formally adopted at a council meeting this week, detailing highs and lows for the city.

Council chief executive Michael Day began his official comment in the document by saying it had been a “challenging financial year”.

The council had faced high local government inflation, additional work and regulatory change which impacted operations, he said.

But Day was pleased the council had managed to meet 71 percent of its levels of service — down just 1 percent from last year.

The report listed a range of achievements from November 2024 to June 2025, including the opening of Bluff Adventure Park (Te Wahi Tākaro o Motupōhue), progress on Te Unua Museum of Southland, Queens Park gaining national accreditation, CCTV roll-out, and infrastructure upgrades.

As for the numbers, the council’s total assets had increased to $1.56 billion while liabilities sat at $182.1 million.

The report also noted rates revenue had slowly increased over the past five years while subsidies and grant revenue had reduced since 2021/22.

Mayor Tom Campbell said at a Tuesday meeting that the adoption of an annual report was one of the weightiest accountabilities for a council.

He acknowledged in a media statement that the past financial year was not without challenges.

“But we’ve balanced progress with prudence, and that’s something to be proud of.”

The report noted council had worked with rūnaka on projects and continued to work with Te Ao Mārama Inc to meet both legislative responsibilities and Takata Whenua needs and interests.

It also gave a brief overview of the city.

Invercargill was home to an estimated 57,600 people, with the district's area encompassing just under 50,000 hectares.

The climate was described as mild, with an average annual temperature of 9.9 degrees Celsius and 1,614 sunshine hours.

Rainfall was spread evenly throughout the year at an annual average of 1,112mm.

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