The New Plymouth District Council has pushed ahead with an average rates rise of 12.4% despite being faced with an - at times - hostile Civic Centre crowd.
They were fired up by revelations that 39% of property owners could face a rates hike of between 15 and 30 percent, and almost two thousand others an increase of between 30 and 50 percent.
RNZ Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin was there.
