The Wellington Water Committee will meet on Friday. Photo / Getty Images
The Wellington Water Committee will meet on Friday. Photo / Getty Images
Wellington Water Committee chairman David Bassett will resign from the role at a meeting this Friday.
The majority of committee members have endorsed Bassett's leadership, but Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says she has lost confidence in him.
Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry will be putting himself forward to replace Bassett as the council's representative on the committee and as chairman.
The committee is made up of representatives from each shareholder council in Wellington Water- a company that manages water assets across the region. There are also two mana whenua representatives.
Bassett has held the role of chairman since the committee was established eight years ago.
In a letter sent to committee members this week he said it was an appropriate time to stand down from the role due to the Government's Three Waters reforms being well underway.
"The bedding down of these new structures will take a good number of years to achieve. The new reforms are very significant and I believe it is critically important our region has continuity of governance during this time of change."
Bassett said the new committee chair would need time to understand the many different views of councils in the region, and beyond, to ensure a smooth transition from the current system to a new approach.
He said the committee could be proud of its achievements over the past eight years including establishing emergency management systems, making recommendations on water reforms, and improving structures to provide technical advice.
A replacement Hutt City Council representative will be voted on at a full council meeting on March 24.
Barry confirmed to the Herald we would be putting his name forward.
"There's a need for change in leadership as we truly start to embark on what will be the most significant Local Government reforms that we've seen in decades."
Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry. Photo / Georgina Campbell
There is support from several members to have a strong quorum of mayors on the committee to liaise with Government officials on reforms.
If Barry is successfully appointed, Wellington Mayor Andy Foster will be the only mayor of the shareholder councils to not have a seat at the table.
Currently Three Waters portfolio leader councillor Sean Rush is the representative for Wellington City Council.
Foster has been contacted for comment.
When asked about Bassett's resignation, Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said she has lost confidence in the chairman.
"I've lost confidence in his ability at the table after all the issues we've had with the audit last year, where he seemed closer to Wellington Water than the committee."
Audit New Zealand found significant issues with Wellington Water's non-financial performance measures.
Last year Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy claimed Wellington Water wasn't transparent about those concerns.
"We were concerned directors were writing letters to the auditor and the shareholders had not been informed", Guppy said.
In response Bassett said he had been kept informed of the issue.
An audit opinion found Wellington Water was unable to accurately report a reliable water loss percentage to each shareholder council due to the limited number of water meters across the network.
Barry said the committee's scrutiny of the situation wasn't as strong as it could be.
Bassett told the Herald he was "staggered" and "bewildered" by Baker's comments.
He said he has spent a considerable amount of time and effort working with Porirua on water and wastewater systems, which were "not up to speed"
"I think Porirua has had very good value for money."
Bassett said his role as chairman of the committee required him to have a close working relationship with Wellington Water.
He noted the audit opinion did not relate to financial concerns and it wasn't Wellington Water's fault the region didn't have water meters, which is up to individual councils to decide.
Other members were considerably more supportive of Bassett's leadership, with regional councillor Jenny Brash, South Wairarapa Mayor Alex Beijen, and Rush all saying he has done a great job.
