Ruapehu District Council calls for 'partnership-based' approach to Three Waters reform

Ruapehu mayor Don Cameron says his council wants answers from the Government on the Three Waters reforms. Photo / Bevan Conley

Ruapehu District Council says while it accepts the Three Waters reform is needed, it still wants answers from the Government on local questions and concerns.

And mayor Don Cameron's personal comment welcoming the end of uncertainty around the reforms did not mean the council supported the Government's actions, the council said in a statement.

The council said it was waiting for a response to questions sent to Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta on September 23, "and a commitment that the "better off-not worse off" financial support promises still stand, despite her announcement that participation for all councils is now mandatory".

"While council has said that we accept that reform is needed, and that our ratepayers cannot afford (from a debt perspective) to pay for the required infrastructure investments without Government support, we have also been clear that we did not have enough information on a number of key issues important to our communities," the council statement said.

The council supported the first stages of the reform process in good faith on the basis that the Government had taken a "voluntary, partnership-based" approach to Three Waters reform working with the local government sector and iwi/Māori as the Crown's Treaty partner, Cameron said.

"Up until the minister's announcement, council was anticipating that we would have the opportunity to ask our community by way of a referendum on whether they supported the reform proposals," Cameron said.

"We had scheduled this for when the reform proposals had reached the Select Committee stage in Parliament as we believed by this time we would have the final model and answers to the outstanding issues we and other councils have been asking about."

The council was "not happy" that an opportunity for the community to have a say had been taken out of its hands.

"Despite inclusion for all councils being mandated, we call upon Government to continue its stated 'partnership-based' approach by answering our outstanding questions and concerns, and confirming that earlier promises to support Council with the transition will be honoured," Cameron said.

Although the Government had announced the establishment of working groups to address those issues, the mandate had "deepened the feelings of mistrust and apprehension held by many in our community toward the process, and what they see as Government over-reach".

"We feel strongly that Government now needs to do everything it can to satisfy any outstanding concerns specifically around ownership, local voice and control of water assets," Cameron said.

"And further to this, other significant reforms such as to the Resource Management Act and the future role of local government, should be put on hold until the Three Waters issue is fully resolved."

Cameron said some people had incorrectly interpreted his October 27 personal comment welcoming the end of uncertainty around the reforms as support from the council for the Government's actions.