3 Waters update

 

The Government has announced it will introduce legislation into the House within the next few weeks to repeal 3 Waters.

In a press release the Minister for Local Government, Simeon Brown, said: 

“The Coalition Government will instead implement a new regime which recognises the importance of local decision-making and flexibility for communities and councils to determine how their water services will be delivered in future…We’ve listened to calls from Mayors around the country for swift action and clarity…The Bill will also disestablish the previous government’s Northland and Auckland Water Services Entity, ending any remaining costly and unnecessary activity involved in setting up this body.”

Three Waters Guinea Pig

Auckland and Northland will be the guinea pigs in a revised Three Waters model. Entity A (which includes four councils: Auckland, Kaipara, Whangarei and the Far North) will be the first of the now 10 water entities to be created. The Auckland North entity takes effect from July next year. The remaining nine entities will be staggered through to mid-2026.

The Three Waters reform is being imposed on councils despite widespread opposition. More than 60,000 submissions opposed the reform, but the government continued with only minor changes. The co-governance provisions remain, which give local iwi half of the seats on an entity’s regional representative group. The other half are shared between the local councils. The iwi and hapu Te Mana o te Wai statements, which must be put into effect by the water entity, have also been retained.

Garrick Tremain cartoon - Lipstick on a pig

Garrick Tremain is one of New Zealand's best-known artists and political cartoonists. He has a wonderful ability to capture in images exactly what people are thinking in a way that makes us laugh. You can see more of his work on his website HERE >>>.