Hamilton will be part of an entity that encompasses nine other councils. Photo / Doug Sherring
Hamilton will be part of an entity that encompasses nine other councils. Photo / Doug Sherring
The Government has announced some changes to the controversial Three Waters Reform, which is now called Affordable Water Reform, but Hamilton City Council isn’t entirely convinced it is enough.
Three key changes are that instead of the controversial four water services entities, there will be 10, delivering freshwater, wastewater, and stormwater services to households. The transition to those 10 entities will take place in stages, from 2025 to 2026 instead of next year. Also, there won’t be a second tranche of better-off funding.
Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate says the changes are a good step towards a stronger local voice, but Hamilton isn’t convinced the new model allows the city to control its own destiny as a high-growth metro council.
“Today’s announcement shows the Government has listened to some of the concerns we have raised ... We have strongly advocated for an entity design that works with existing communities of interest.”
Hamilton was formerly grouped with 21 other councils, encompassing Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and parts of Manawatū/Whanganui, but under the new model, the city is grouped with nine other councils: Waikato, Waipa, Thames-Coromandel, Matamata-Piako, Hauraki, Otorohanga, Waitomo, Rotorua and Taupō District Councils.
“This is a community of councils that have a history of working well together,” Southgate says.
“This reform has the environment at its heart and the Waikato region brings together some of Aotearoa’s greatest environmental taonga: our longest river, our largest lake, internationally-significant wetlands and the country’s most important geothermal resource.”
The new 10 Water Service Entities. Graphic / Department of Internal Affairs
Southgate says in its numerous pieces of feedback, the council has repeatedly asked for more time to properly transition to any new structure.
“So it is pleasing Government has acknowledged this and provided for a staged transition ... I am pleased that the Government is listening to us ... but there’s still work to be done.”
Hamilton will now consider the detail of the changes and provide feedback to the Government.
Local Government organisation LGNZ is taking a similar stance to Hamilton City Council, saying the announcement is a step in the right direction but a number of questions remain.
LGNZ president Stuart Crosby says: “We won’t know what the full impact of these changes are to our communities until amendments to the bill are drafted and further decisions on elements of the reform - including planning and funding are made.”
LGNZ president Stuart Crosby.
However, he says LGNZ acknowledges the changes were a genuine shift and responds to key parts of local government’s feedback.
“There are 78 councils across the motu. Within local government, there are many and varied views on reform. We will need to return to our councils to understand their views on the new model,” Crosby says.
Meanwhile, Local Government action group Communities 4 Local Democracy He hapori mō te Manapori (C4LD), of which five Waikato councils are currently members, says it is disappointed.
“The announcement has seen only minor tweaks to the entity model, while doing nothing to answer concerns around community property rights and meaningful local voice,” the group says.
C4LD co-chair Helen Worboys says: “It’s the same plan with a different name ... Communities [are] still two steps away from any real influence ... The plan still sees billions of dollars of assets confiscated without compensation ... and greatly diminishes [the communities’] say on the infrastructure they own and have built.”
C4LD is calling for a complete reset to the policy, taking the reform out of the hands of central government and allowing for communities to steer reforms.
