Communities 4 Local Democracy – the
voice of more than a million New Zealanders
Mayors Bruce Smith of Westland District Council and Mayor Tania Gibson of Grey District Council joined Mayors representing more than a million New Zealanders to take their Three Waters concerns to Parliament today, marking the first step of a powerful new local democracy campaign.
Communities 4 Local Democracy - He hapori mō te Manapori is a newly formed and growing group of 23 councils from around the country. The group was created in response to serious concerns about the Government’s Three Waters reforms, and numbers are growing as local councils consider the implications of the proposed legislation – in particular losing control of approximately $60 billion of community owned assets across the whole country.
More than a dozen mayors and other elected representatives are taking the group’s message to meetings at Parliament with National ACT and the Green Party.
“Like the Government, we want to ensure all New Zealanders have access to safe drinking water and we are committed to working with the Government to achieve that,” says Helen Worboys, Mayor of Manawatu and Chair of the new group.
“No-one disputes the need for investment, but there’s a better way to achieve the Government’s objectives and we want to work in partnership with them on that,” she says.
“Our action group will introduce fresh ideas for better water. But our fresh ideas will ensure that our local communities continue to have a say on how the assets that they have bought and paid for are used to achieve our health and environmental goals.
“This is an inclusive campaign – it’s about safe drinking water for all New Zealanders, whoever and wherever they are. More meaningful Mana Whenua representation is an important part of that. It’s also an apolitical campaign – we’re completely focused on the issue regardless of political affiliation.
“We are the elected local voice of our communities – communities that are very clearly telling us that they don’t want control of the assets that generations of our ratepayers built up and paid for being snatched away from them as part of the Government’s plan,” Mayor Worboys says.
“We don’t believe that the best solution lies in putting our assets into what will be four of the largest companies in New Zealand – and then denying our communities their say in how those companies are run.”
Mayor Bruce Smith says that his message to politicians is simple “Westland has an excellent example of successful cooperation between Council, the community and our Iwi partners in our Hokitika Wastewater Treatment Plant project and we do not want to lose the ability to establish and maintain those relationships in the future. Our community has the right to safe three waters, but they don’t want to hand the assets that they’ve paid for.”
Mayor Tania Gibson says “We are pleased to be part of Communities 4 Democracy to add our district’s voice to the ever increasing threat of losing our local assets and have a say in how they are managed.”
Communities 4 Local Democracy is taking a constructive approach to the situation by commissioning expert advice on alternative models that might achieve the objectives of Government and local communities. It will be sharing its findings when they are complete.
About Communities 4 Local Democracy
- www.communities4localdemocracy.co.nz
- Communities 4 Local Democracy partner councils (correct at Tuesday 15 December 2021):
- Three partner councils (Whangārei District Council, Timaru District Council and Waimakariri District Council) recently filed a High Court application seeking clarification of what ownership means in relation to their ratepayer-funded water assets. Between them, these three councils have $1.76 billion in ratepayer funded water infrastructure.
Ashburton District Council
Central Hawkes Bay District Council
Christchurch City Council
Far North District Council
Grey District Council
Hurunui District Council
Kaikōura District Council
Kaipara District Council
Kawerau District Council
Manawatu District Council
Matamata-Piako District Council
Napier City Council
Ōpōtiki District Council
South Taranaki District Council
South Waikato District Council
Tararua District Council
Timaru District Council
Waimakariri District Council
Waimate District Council
Waipa District Council
Wairoa District Council
Westland District Council
Whangarei District Council
Media contact: Stephen Doran - 027 202 7784
