My Account
This year will be a key one for the government’s Three Waters reforms and will include a further opportunity for the New Zealand public to have its say on the controversial plan.
The reforms take the responsibility for water services away from Councils, instead creating four publicly owned entities to manage the nation’s drinking, waste and stormwater.
In Auckland it means that instead of water services being operated by CCO Watercare and the Healthy Waters division of Council, Auckland’s water services will be merged with those of the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara District.
The reforms have met staunch opposition from a number of quarters, including most of New Zealand’s councils.
Government says the changes are because the cost of maintaining, renewing and upgrading water infrastructure has become impossible for communities. This has the potential to impact public health and environmental outcomes.
It is promising economies and efficiencies of scale – spreading infrastructure costs across larger populations and over longer periods of time, has the potential to make water services more affordable for households, the government says.
The Water Services Entities Bill, which will legislate the formation of the new entities, will proceed through the parliamentary processes this year.
Public consultation will take place when it reaches the Select Committee stage.
Auckland ratepayers have already had their first opportunity to comment, when Council sought the public’s views on Three Waters via a survey. The details of that feedback are yet to be collated and released publicly, but around 3500 responses were received.
Working group gets to grips with draft Bill
Towards the end of last year, Government established a working group comprised of local government and iwi to consider the concerns raised by local government – Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is on this working group (HM December 6).
The working group is considering a draft of the Bill and will report back to Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta by February 28, so that Ministers can consider its recommendations before the Bill is introduced.
A Department of Internal Affairs spokesperson says a number of changes have already been made to the original proposal in response to council feedback.
The draft bill is at www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Three-Waters-Reform-2021/$file/Water-Services-Entities-Bill-v15.0.pdf
