My Account
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff and Kaipara District Mayor Jason Smith have been appointed to a panel tasked with ensuring that a new legally mandated northern water entity will still be accountable to ratepayers.
The pair are two of just nine mayors tasked with “developing solutions” on behalf of New Zealand’s 67 councils.
The panel will be chaired by Doug Martin, who was also a member of the council-controlled organisations’ independent review.
The Government has formed the Three Waters panel in response to near universal condemnation of the reform programme by New Zealand councils.
It follows a recent announcement by the Government that it will legally mandate the formation of four centralised water entities, taking the decision-making power out of local councils’ hands.
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta admitted that feedback from councils had “raised a number of concerns” about proposed representation and accountability.
“It’s a bottom line for the Government that water service entities continue to be publicly owned, have operational and financial autonomy to make much needed investment, and have oversight from local authorities and mana whenua,” she said.
The Three Waters panel is scheduled to report back in March next year. According to the Government’s own timeline, the Water Services Entities Bill, which will legislate the formation of the new entities, will be before select committees in Parliament by the end of the year.
