Wairoa mayor Craig Little fears the township will be left behind in the Three Waters reforms, as evident by Government officials never making good on a promised visit. Photo / NZME
Wairoa mayor Craig Little fears the township will be left behind in the Three Waters reforms, as evident by Government officials never making good on a promised visit. Photo / NZME
A promised visit by officials to Wairoa ahead of the Government's Three Waters announcement would have been "beneficial" had it actually happened, the town's mayor says.
Wairoa mayor Craig Little says he is horrified by what he feels is the Government's "apparent disinterest" in listening to the feedback of localcommunities.
Reform of the country's drinking, storm and wastewater services was announced last year after the results of an inquiry into the Havelock North water crisis in 2016 when residents became ill with campylobacteriosis.
The outbreak is believed to have affected 5500 of the town's 14,000 residents, leading to the hospitalisation of 45 and the deaths of four people.
The Government has now announced it will proceed with plans to take over management of councils' Three Waters assets - despite opposition from many councils.
Under the current proposal, responsibility for Hawke's Bay services would transfer to a regional entity comprising 21 councils from the East Coast of the North Island to the top of the South Island and the Chatham Islands.
Wairoa mayor Craig Little says many questions about the Government's Three Waters reforms remain unanswered. Photo / NZME
Little said he was promised an official visit to Wairoa during a zoom call with Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta in August.
He said she had "made a commitment" to send officials to Wairoa so they could gain information to enable a better understanding of the district's Three Waters position.
"Now, nearly three months on, the Government has made a decision and we have still not had a visit."
An in-person meeting would have allowed the council to highlight Wairoa's unique needs, Little said.
"It would have been very beneficial."
A spokesperson for the Department of Internal Affairs said the council had been provided with "several opportunities" to discuss the reforms with Department of Internal Affairs officials since Little's discussion with Mahuta in August.
Wairoa mayor Craig Little says Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta (pictured) made a promise to visit Wairoa ahead of the Government's Three Waters announcement. Photo / NZME
This included when officials met with Hawke's Bay councils, including with Wairoa District Council, in person on August 16, to better understand their concerns and provide additional information.
"While opportunities for in-person meetings with all of the individual mayors that have requested them have been constrained in the last two months due to travel restrictions, the department's officials remain committed to having these discussions as circumstances allow," the spokesperson said.
They said Mahuta had been very clear in her public statements that the decision to legislate an all-in approach was driven by the need to ensure that all New Zealanders receive safe, affordable, and sustainable Three Waters services.
"She has been clear that the Government has heard the concerns of councils through extensive consultation over the last four years, including the recent eight-week engagement period requested by the sector."
They added work was under way to establish a working group of local government, iwi and water industry experts to work through elements of entity design including representation, governance, and accountability arrangements of the entities.
An opportunity for public participation and consultation would be provided through this and New Zealanders would have a chance to have their say and shape the reform through the select committee process.
