Press Release-GDC endorses plan for water reform that works
13 April 2022
Media release
Grey District Council endorses plan for water reform that works
The Grey District Council, tonight at an extraordinary meeting of Council, endorsed the Communities 4 Local Democracy He hapori mō te Manapori (C4LD) credible alternative to the Governments Three Waters reform package.
Mayors and CEs representing the 32 member councils of (C4LD) have presented the Minister of Local Government their plan for three waters reform that could gain wide support.
The mayors presented their 10-point plan for reform to the Minister for Local Government, Nanaia Mahuta and Department of Internal Affairs officials, as well as Green Party Co-Leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw, and Green MP Eugenie Sage. The group had already presented its models to the National Party and ACT.
Tania Gibson Grey District Mayor and CE Paul Morris attended the meetings in Wellington with Minister Mahuta to represent the voice of the Grey District which has been very clear in the message that they are opposed to the government’s mega entity model with 95% of the feedback from the community against.
Mayor Gibson said “Grey District Councils Three Water Assets have a replacement value of $248.5 million and this and previous Councils have tackled the three waters investment problem and done well over the years in the Three Waters space, especially in wastewater with over $45 million invested and three new water reservoirs being installed with current capital projects. We have also increased our budget commitment to stormwater in the 2021/2031 Long Term Plan.”
She said” For our ratepayers, $248.5 million replacement cost of ratepayer’s assets, transferred to a South Island mega entity, to receive potentially one valueless share, that only has worth in case of privatisation, effectively gives us no say at all in management of our assets. We are working closely with our communities throughout this process, and we have heard your local voice loud and clear.”
Manawatu District Mayor and C4LD Chair Helen Worboys said that the group is keen to work with all parties to ensure any reforms have the broad base of support needed for major long-term infrastructure investment.
“The proposals we’ve brought to the table enable the Government to deliver on all its aims, create opportunities for strong and lasting partnerships and deliver safe, sustainable and affordable water services for all New Zealand,” she said.
“They enable us build on existing partnerships and forge new relationships with Mana Whenua at a local level that consider co-design and partnership arrangements to acknowledge and enable Te Tiriti based pathways at a local and regional level.
“They also provide for the continuation of local influence and community property rights.
“We’re confident that we’re in line with the majority of New Zealanders. We’ve presented a reform framework that is directly supported by nearly half of councils in New Zealand and is aligned with the views of the majority of other councils, most notably Auckland representing 1.7 million people.”
The full presentation to the minister outlining C4LD’s framework for reform is now available at www.communities4localdemocracy.co.nz/ideas
C4LD’s 10-point proposal for compromise - supported by all members - reads:
1. Foundation principle - community property rights in Three Waters assets are to be both respected and meaningful.
2. The Government should agree to amend its current reform process and allow time for the revised approach to be reflected in draft legislation.
3. With respect to investment decision-making, asset owners should actively seek to initiate authentic discussions with mana whenua at a local level that consider co-design and partnership arrangements that acknowledge and enable Te Tiriti based pathways at a local and regional level.
4. In return, asset owners agree to commit to meeting health and environmental standards, once known, within an appropriate time frame.
5. The regulatory framework should specify a “backstop” provision that identifies a set of circumstances which would justify future Crown intervention if an asset owner was not making acceptable progress towards meeting those regulatory requirements.
6. Progress should be reported on annually by asset owners and be benchmarked across the sector.
7. To further incentivise sector progress, a formal process might be established that requires an asset owner to prepare a plan that would map out the steps it proposes to take to meet the required standards in a financially viable and sustainable manner.
8. A process to finance and allocate funds to areas that will require financial assistance be designed that is national in application and independently administered accordingly to objective and transparent criteria (this is consistent with the recommendation of the Productivity Commission in November 2019).
9. This subsidy scheme will be designed to meet investment shortfalls until such time as sufficient progress has been made. At which point the scheme will cease and asset owners will finance matters on a business-as-usual approach.
10.A sector-wide sector best-practice improvement process be created and membership made compulsory. (In a similar manner used to implement successfully the One Network Road Classification Framework and now One Network Framework in the road infrastructure area and governed by Waka Kotahi and the Local Government Sector.)
Ends
Website: www.greydc.govt.nz/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GreyDC
Contact:
Grey District Council
03 769 8600
Media contact:
Megan Bourke
Communications Officer
Email: dept-comms@greydc.govt.nz
