Initial survey results show Whanganui residents overwhelmingly oppose Three Waters Reforms

Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford said survey results would inform the council's submission to the Government. Photo / Bevan Conley

Initial results of a survey sent to Whanganui residents for their views on the Three Waters Reforms show locals are overwhelmingly against the proposals.

Residents who want to add their voices to a Whanganui District Council survey on the Government's Three Waters Reforms have a couple more days to share their views.

Chief executive David Langford said the council had received more than 570 responses to the survey on Three Waters and local government reform since it opened at the beginning of July.

He said the preliminary results from the survey had helped to inform the council's submission to the government's select committee on the Water Services Entities Bill.

Initial analysis of the survey results so far showed that more than 87 per cent of respondents stated they opposed the Government's proposed amalgamation of council water services and more than 72 per cent opposed the cross-subsidisation of water services and only wanted to pay for services within their own community.

Langford and mayor Hamish McDouall will travel to Wellington to present the submission in person and will voice any additional concerns raised by the survey results.

Asked if respondents had shown a clear understanding of the Three Waters reform proposals, Langford said it was a hard thing to gauge.

"There is so much detail that I don't understand myself and we all need more clarity," he said.

"I sympathise with people struggling to understand the reforms because there are still so many unanswered questions. We have been updating the community to the best of our abilities and the initial survey results are included in the council's submission."

Langford said the survey was open until 5pm on Saturday, July 30 and responses received this week could still contribute to the council's submission.

McDouall said he and Langford would be presenting the submission in person and there would be an opportunity to address concerns not included in the submission.

"We'll have a further opportunity there to raise any additional concerns that may have come through the survey responses," he said.

"Whanganui District Council opposes the compulsory amalgamation of our water services. We are concerned about the loss of local control over our water infrastructure and the way the Awa Tupua legislation would be recognised under these proposals."

Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Bill passed in 2017 recognises Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River) as an indivisible and living whole, comprising the Whanganui River from the mountains to the sea, and all its physical and metaphysical elements.

McDouall said there had been no indication as to how Te Awa Tupua would be recognised within the Government's proposed framework.

He says the council's six-page submission raised those concerns and covered other issues it wants to resolve.

Last year, the Government indicated that local authorities would have time to consult their communities before deciding on whether they would adopt the reforms however Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced in October that the reforms would become mandatory leaving councils without the opportunity to consult or vote.

Residents can have their say by going to the 'Have your say' tab on the Whanganui District Council's website.