Mayors in Whanganui, Ruapehu, Rangitkei and Ruapehu need more answers on Government’s Three Waters rejig

Mayors in Whanganui and surrounding districts say more questions need answering following tweaks to the Government’s Three Waters initiative.

The four-entity model to deliver Three Waters (freshwater, wastewater, and stormwater) services is no more, replaced by a more regional 10-entity system.

Acting Whanganui mayor Helen Craig said outside of that, it was still exactly the same framework as before.

On the plus side, Whanganui would at least have a voice at the table under the new system, she said.

“With the four entities, there was no guarantee we would have any voice at all because there was a limited number of seats with the representation group.

“Now we are guaranteed one person, and because it’s still 50-50 with iwi, there would be an iwi representative as well.

“That is an improvement.”

The entities will report to a local representative group - equally composed of local council representatives and mana whenua.

Under the new model, the Whanganui district will be under Entity E - Manawatu-Whanganui.

Having 10 entities instead of four would be far more expensive, with each needing an independent board, a chief executive, and staff, Craig said.

South Taranaki mayor Phil Nixon agreed.

“We have to put a board in place.

“There is another level of bureaucracy and cost that really doesn’t need to be there.”

Acting Whanganui mayor Helen Craig. Photo / Bevan Conley

Nixon said he was happy to move to the Taranaki entity, but that regional model had already been worked on among its mayors for the past four years.

“We are back where we started - with the work we were doing to be able to go it alone and do it ourselves.

“We could have saved a hell of a lot of heartache and money if only this Government had listened.

“Things are in a better state now than they were though, that’s for sure.”

Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson said even under the regional model, decisions about his district would still be made elsewhere.

Having a Rangitīkei voice there was a significant step forward, however.

“I have sympathy for where [council] staff are at,” Watson said.

“There is uncertainty over positions and there will be an enormous amount of work involved in rejigging LTPs [Long Term Plans], annual plans - all of that sort of prep work.”

Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa chairman Pahia Turia said he congratulated the Government for holding the line when it came to the co-governance.

“Co-governance has become the main political football and that’s probably what National will do, which doesn’t surprise me,” he said.

“I suppose that’s been a bottom line for the National Iwi Chairs Forum - that they [Government] maintain it [co-governance], and they maintain Te Mana o te Wai as their priority document to inform all decisions moving forward.

“This is consistent with the conversations we’ve been having with the Government up to date at a National Iwi Chairs level, and it’s good to see.”

Mayors around the country held a Zoom meeting with Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty before the announcement on Thursday.

Watson said he would have liked to ask where rural water schemes sat within the new model.

“That’s still something I will ask at the appropriate time.

“We are yet to hear the Opposition’s response as well, and I think it’s unlikely they will just say ‘the Government has got this absolutely right’.

“That’s the nature of the game isn’t it?”

Andy Watson says Rangitīkei having a voice in the new model is a significant step forward. Photo / Bevan Conley

Craig said in her opinion, the review of local government needed to be completed before anything else.

“That is what should come first.

“Then, when you’ve decided what local government is going to do and what central government is going to do, you look at how best to provide services such as Three Waters.

“They [Government] has totally got it around the wrong way and as a result, we’ll have a very ‘mish-mash’ system.”

Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton said it was no surprise to him that the regional model had been introduced.

“It’s a programme that fits better with a lot more people in the country, including our own council, but whether the proposed regional catchment areas fit well is something we [council] will be discussing.

“I won’t commit myself to the Whanganui and Manawatu catchment area yet.

“We have to be pragmatic and also look at other areas that might fit better in terms of population base and affordability.”

Ruapehu District Council was currently in $60 million debt, $40m of which had come about because of Three Waters projects, Kirton said.

The council was now “at its limit”.

“One of the questions I asked the minister this morning was about the debt we’ve created over time to keep up with the reforms and legislation that’s out there,” he said.

“We were hoping of course that it [debt] would be phased out in 2024, which is 12 months away.

“Now we are talking 2026, and the minister was sympathetic to that. We need to get clarity as to how to get that debt off our books.”

According to the Government, the 10 new entities will begin to be stood up from early 2025 and the process will be completed by July 1, 2026 at the latest.