Wellington City Council Eliminates Rates Rebate Application Processing Burden with Desktop Imaging's Purpose-Built Automation Service

The Challenge: Sudden Regulatory Changes Create Administrative Crisis

In 2025, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) introduced sweeping changes to New Zealand's Rates Rebate program that fundamentally shifted the administrative burden to local councils:

• Retired online submission portal - The electronic Rebate Management System (eRMS) became read-only, online submissions replaced with monthly spreadsheets‍
• New eligibility criteria - Introduction of Super Gold Card status as a calculation variable
• Monthly reporting requirements - Consolidated refund requests due within 5 days of month-end‍
• 7-year retention mandate - All applications and supporting documents now subject to DIA audit

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For Wellington City Council, these changes meant staff would need to manually validate, calculate, enter, and report on thousands of annual applications—a massive administrative burden that would divert resources from other critical services.

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The Solution: Zero-Investment Automation Designed Specifically for Rates Rebates

Wellington City Council selected our DI Automation: Rates Rebate Service—the only current purpose-built automation solution specifically designed for New Zealand councils' rates rebate processing needs.

Key Service Components:

• Automated form validation - Ensures completeness of all forms and their eligibility
• Built-in eligibility calculations - Validates rebate amounts per DIA requirements
• Direct system integration - Formatted CSV files for seamless import into WCC’s Property and Rating System
• Automatic monthly DIA reports - Generated within deadline requirements
• Compliant document conversion – Saved to PDF-A format meeting Archives NZ standards

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‍Implementation in Days, Not Months

Unlike traditional software implementations, there was no software installation, no infrastructure investment, no lengthy project timelines—just immediate processing capability when Wellington City Council needed it most.

The Results: Seamless Processing from Day One

Since going live in July 2025, Wellington City Council has:

• Processed 800+ applications without manual data entry
• Met 100% of DIA monthly reporting deadlines
• Achieved full compliance with new document retention requirements
• Eliminated the internal manual processing burden

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Pay-Per-Application Model Delivers Immediate Value

With no upfront investment, no software licenses, and no infrastructure costs, Wellington City Council only pays for what they process. Monthly costs are predictable, scalable, and align directly with application volumes.

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Why This Matters for Your Council

Every council in New Zealand faces the same DIA regulatory requirements. The choice is simple:

Option 1: Build internal capacity for manual processing

• Hire additional staff or reassign existing resources
• Risk errors in calculations and reporting
• Face potential DIA audit findings
• Struggle with document retention compliance

Option 2: Implement Desktop Imaging's proven service

• Operational within days
• No capital investment required
• Pay only for applications processed
• Complete compliance guaranteed

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The Desktop Imaging Advantage

As the only current digitisation provider offering a dedicated Rates Rebate automation service, Desktop Imaging brings:

• Specialised expertise in New Zealand council operations
• Purpose-built workflows designed specifically for DIA requirements
• Proven processing capacity with 800+ applications already completed
• Ongoing compliance updates as regulations evolve

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Ready to Eliminate Your Rates Rebate Processing Burden?

Join Wellington City Council and other forward-thinking authorities who've already automated their rates rebate processing.

Contact Desktop Imaging today to get started on this automation journey.

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