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Last month Auckland Council made its submission to the government’s Finance Expenditure Committee hearing on the proposed Water Services Entities Bill, stating its opposition in no uncertain terms.
The bill aims to establish four publicly owned water services entities – one of which will replace Watercare – with the aim of improving water standards and environmental outcomes throughout the country.
The Council’s submission stated that while it supports the need for reform to ensure uniformly high standards of water and wastewater services, it opposes the proposed governance model.
“Auckland contributes 90 percent of the population and 93 percent of the asset value of the proposed water services entity, but its share of governing votes by elected representatives drops to 28 percent at best under the new model,” Mayor Phil Goff told the committee.
He said more than 80 percent of Aucklanders who submitted on consultation agree that Council should have majority control in any new water services entity and there was more than 75 percent backing for Council’s view that a new entity should be kept accountable to the public through elected council representatives.
Council prefers the current council-controlled model which it says delivers some of the best water quality in the country while seeing Aucklanders use less water per capita than in any other region.
“At the very least the government’s reform should hold off from taking stormwater functions until further assessment demonstrates that benefits outweigh costs from amalgamating the three waters,” the submission says.
Following the submissions period, a report from the government’s Finance Expenditure Committee is due by November 11.
