Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford said it was not appropriate to join a local government coalition when the public had not been consulted.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford said it was not appropriate to join a local government coalition when the public had not been consulted.
Photo / Bevan Conley
The Three Waters Reforms have been slated as a flawed model and bad policy by Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall.
But the mayor and the Whanganui District Council's new chief executive David Langford both stopped short of calling to join a lobby group of 32 other councils opposing Three Waters.
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta wants to amalgamate the water services of 67 councils into four regional water entitles.
The proposal is controversial because it is compulsory, effectively forcing councils to part with their water pipes and reservoirs.
In resolutions passed at a Whanganui District Council meeting last week, councillors unanimously agreed that they did not support the government's model.
Langford said influencing a better Three Waters outcome for Whanganui could be achieved in many different ways including the council lobbying directly with central government, or by potentially joining groups like the Communities 4 Local Democracy Coalition (C4LD) in the future.
"The challenge with C4LD is they are saying more than no to central government's Three Waters delivery model; they also have their own models," he said.
Council had not consulted its residents on whether they would support those models, so it was not appropriate to sign up to them yet, Langford said.
The mayor agreed to defer joining a group like C4LD, but made it clear he was unhappy with Three Waters in its current form.
"But we need to send a clear flag to central government that we are extremely disappointed and against what is a flawed model and a piece of bad policymaking."
McDouall said other reforms should have come before water.
"I've said right from the start that the Future of Local Government reforms should take place first, then the review of the Resource Management Act – and then the Three Waters reform. Taumata Arowai, the new water services regulator, should be well up and running first before we make changes to the delivery model."
The council's chief financial officer, Mike Fermor, presented a report on whether Whanganui District Council should join C4LD.
"While we have concerns with the overall reform process, we do not recommend joining Communities 4 Local Democracy," he said.
"Joining C4LD may compromise the council's ability to negotiate with the Government on Three Waters reform, particularly regarding reimbursement for the value of community assets that were sold to reduce Three Waters debt."
Fermor said there were significant gaps in the information provided.
"A regional approach, which is one of the options proposed by C4LD, may see Whanganui worse off, as some of our regional neighbours have significant issues with their three waters systems to address urgently - which will require significant funding."
Councillors agreed to consult with the public to gauge their position on Three Waters and how to best lobby central government.
When Mahuta announced the plan in October last year, the legislation creating the new entities was set to be introduced to Parliament by the end of the year, but the Government was forced to concede it would be delayed for a year.
The proposed reforms will come with a national price tag of $120 billion to $185b over 30 years to try to deliver safe drinking water, swimmable rivers, resilient water networks and improved environmental outcomes.
Prior to their meeting on Tuesday, Whanganui councillors attended a workshop where Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan representing the Three Waters Reform Governance Working Group spoke along with Andreas Heuser from consultant company Castalia presented options being put forward by C4LD.
Whanganui District Councillors have voted to remain independent of other local authorities in lobbying the Government on water reforms.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta received the independent Working Group report on the Three Waters Reform Programme earlier this month and said the Government would now consider the report's recommendations.
"Cabinet will carefully consider the recommendations in today's report from the Working Group before finalising reform plans and introducing legislation. We know it is important to get this reform right for every New Zealander," she said.
The group recommended councils now have a shareholding in the new entities, as well as sub-groups and a water ombudsman for more direct local control.
Mahuta said the process will now be designed to make sure the wealth of three waters expertise and local knowledge built up by local government transfers over to the new entities and that these new water services providers are accountable and responsive to local communities.
