A judge in the District Court in Whangarei has reserved his decision in a council case against the leader of the Mangawhai rates rebellion, Bruce Rogan.
The Kaipara District Council is suing Mr Rogan for $22,000 dollars in rates arrears and penalties.
He is one of about 100 ratepayers who have refused to pay rates in protest at the council's unapproved borrowing in previous years, and the validation of rates in Parliament.
The rate rebels are taking a case to the Court of Appeal to test the validity of the rates in October - and fighting the council's debt collection efforts in the meantime.
The council's lawyer told Judge De Ridder today that alleged multiple flaws in the council's rate invoices were "nit-picking" and did not invalidate them.
