Check Your Candidates’ Three Waters Stance

There is growing public concern with the Government’s Three Waters legislation that will take council drinking, storm and wastewater assets and place them in a convoluted governance arrangement. The concern has grown to anger as the public realise that the select committee process is a sham, with government members merely going through the motions. Most of the submitters have given up their time to give evidence to the select committee in the hope of their council retaining ownership and control of their Three Waters assets. And yet we now know that the government are already advertising for staff to run the new bureaucracy.  

Last Sunday my neighbouring Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey and I hosted four public meetings in North Canterbury with our Local Government (Three Waters) Spokesperson North Shore MP Simon Watts. We had great turnouts, and to say that people are unhappy about the reforms would be an understatement. I have seen concern grow and become anger that the Government would have the gall to take their water assets. They quite rightly fear that when there is a problem with a ruptured water pipe, or blocked storm water drain, that they will call an 0800 number to report the problem to someone who has no local knowledge. Service levels will decline while costs grow.

It has suddenly dawned on the Government that many councils will not willingly sign up for their so-called reform, so they have made it compulsory, which is in effect the nationalisation of council assets.

The questions and discussion were wide-ranging and as members of parliament it is always good to hear from real people about how the change would affect them. There were good suggestions made and perspectives that we had not heard before.

The Government says that communities will have a say in the management of their Three Waters assets, but that is really stretching the truth, as the governing board will be 50-50 split between council representatives and iwi. Given that there are 21 councils in entity C (includes the Top of the South) and 20 in entity D, which covers the rest of the South Island, how can there be any meaningful community input?

That some councillors have caved into the pressure to drop their opposition to Three Waters shows that they lack the courage to lead their community.

I urge you to ask council candidates for their position on Three Waters and if they have the courage to do what is best for their communities.