How Matamata‑Piako Turned Rates Stress into 4.9/5 Resident Satisfaction

👉 Download the full Matamata‑Piako case study to see exactly how the council achieved these results, and how your council can too.

For many councils, rates collection is a balancing act between efficiency and empathy. Residents want flexibility and visibility; councils need predictable cashflow and manageable workloads. When those needs clash, stress builds on both sides.

Matamata‑Piako District Council (MPDC), a rural New Zealand council serving just over 30,000 residents, found itself in that exact position. Manual processes, rigid instalments, and endless phone calls were creating frustration for residents and exhausting staff.

By partnering with Payble, MPDC transformed its rates system into a modern, resident‑centric experience. The results were immediate: thousands of flexible plans activated in weeks, penalties avoided through real‑time balance visibility, and a resident satisfaction score of 4.9 out of 5.

This blog offers a high‑level look at their journey and why every council should download the full case study to see how it was achieved.

The Challenge: Manual Systems in a Modern World

MPDC’s rating system reflected an older way of working. Residents who wanted flexibility had to pick up the phone or walk into an office. Staff processed thousands of direct debit forms by hand. Every balance check meant another call.

The pain points were clear:

• Rigid instalments punished retirees and families living on fixed incomes.
• No online balance visibility meant residents relied on staff for basic information.
• Manual processing consumed thousands of hours, leaving staff bogged down in repetitive tasks.

As one staff member put it, the system wasn’t broken, but it was breaking people.

The Economic Pressure Cooker

The timing couldn’t have been worse. Inflation in New Zealand climbed to 3% in Q3 2025, the highest in over a year. Essentials drove the surge:

• Electricity prices rose 11.3%, the steepest increase since 1989.
• Local authority rates and payments jumped 8.8%, the single largest contributor to CPI.
• Vegetables spiked 12.2% in a single quarter.

For retirees and families, these weren’t abstract numbers. They translated into real strain. Households who wanted to pay were often penalised simply because the system didn’t fit their reality.

The Turning Point

MPDC realised they couldn’t keep telling the same old story. Manual processes weren’t just inefficient, they were unfair. So the council partnered with Payble to give residents something they had never truly had before: control.

For the first time, residents could:

• See balances instantly on their phones
• Choose weekly, fortnightly, or monthly payments that matched their pay cycles
• Avoid penalties through real‑time visibility and reminders

The impact was immediate. Thousands of flexible plans were activated within weeks. Satisfaction soared to 4.9 out of 5. One resident summed it up:

“How refreshing to have something so simple to follow and for it to still feel secure.”

The Staff Experience

The transformation wasn’t just for residents. Staff felt it too.

• Direct debit forms dropped to near zero
• Call centres no longer fielded endless balance checks
• Rates teams shifted from firefighting to proactive support

Think about that shift: from thousands of hours wasted to a system that largely runs itself. From staff bogged down in paperwork to staff freed to engage meaningfully with the community.

The Solution: Payble’s Platform

Together, MPDC and Payble implemented a customer‑centric payment experience platform designed to simplify and automate rates payments.

Key benefits included:

• Improved convenience and flexibility: residents could skip payments, update details, and align schedules with pay cycles.
• Proactive arrears prevention:  automated reminders reduced missed payments and improved cashflow.
• Positive feedback:  satisfaction scores averaged 4.9/5, strengthening council‑resident relationships.
• Reduced administrative burden:  direct debits were automatically created in the system, saving staff time.
• Potential for earned interest: earlier payments meant councils could invest funds sooner.
• Lower postage costs: SMS notifications replaced printed letters.
• Mitigated risk: secure, PCI‑compliant processing reduced fraud and compliance risks.

After Implementation

The numbers speak for themselves:

• 17,000 new payment plans created in the first four weeks
• Zero effort required from the rates team
• Cashflow improved, penalties reduced, and resident trust strengthened

As Jo Gifford, Information Manager, explained:

“Not to incur a penalty makes a huge difference… now they can pop onto the website and see their balance. This is just next‑level flexible.”

Lessons for Councils Everywhere

MPDC’s journey offers practical insights for councils facing similar pressures:

1. Flexibility prevents stress: rigid instalments punish households; flexible options empower them.
2. Automation scales: manual processes don’t grow with your population; automation frees staff time.
3. Visibility builds trust: when residents can see balances instantly, penalties fall and satisfaction rises.
4. Integration matters: technology that works within existing council systems is adopted faster.
5. Efficiency creates opportunity: freeing staff from repetitive tasks allows them to focus on meaningful community support.

Why This Matters

Councils across New Zealand and Australia are at a crossroads. Many still rely on outdated manual processes or online portals that don’t work well for residents or staff. These systems are often hard to use, insecure, and costly.

MPDC proved there’s a better way. By embracing Payble’s platform, they delivered a resident experience that scored near‑perfect while freeing staff from thousands of hours of manual work.

Download the Full Case Study

This blog is just the high‑level summary. The full case study dives deeper into:

• The step‑by‑step implementation process
• How Finance, IT, and Rates teams collaborated
• The role of Marketing & Communications in driving adoption
• Practical lessons for councils facing similar economic pressures

👉 Download the full Matamata‑Piako case study to see exactly how the council achieved these results, and how your council can too.

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[Click here to Download the full Matamata‑Piako case study]

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