Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced on Wednesday that central government would be mandating the Three Waters reform proposal to amalgamate 67 local councils into four national entities, without an option to opt-out.
Tasman Mayor Tim King said that the decision to not provide more time to work through the issues and options and to mandate the reforms through legislation was disappointing, given the feedback provided by councils across New Zealand.
“It was perhaps inevitable given the Government’s case is built around all New Zealand’s three waters assets being included,” King said.
King said the only certainties that were known at this stage were the removal of the opt-out opportunity and that the reforms would come into effect in 2024.
All the other details that relate to Tasman District Council’s submission and many others around ownership, governance and local influence over future decision making, remain unclear at this point.
The Council does understand that the Murchison area would be serviced as part Entity C along with the rest of the Tasman area.
King said the Council had put a lot of time and effort into examining the implications of the proposals for the district, in conjunction with our neighbouring top of the south councils and the wider local government sector.
He also acknowledged that the high level of correspondence and concerns received from residents and ratepayers reflected the scale and importance of the issue and that these concerns are unlikely to be resolved by today’s decision.
Feedback provided by Tasman and other councils around the country in recent weeks had highlighted these issues and concerns.
Informed by the overall feedback, the Government will establish a working group, which will include expertise from across local government, water industry experts and iwi, to partner to refine outstanding elements of the reforms.
Work will continue on governance and representation, the interface with the Resource Management Act, and transition for rural water supplies. Legislation is expected before Christmas.
Matters relating to pricing and the transition pathway to economic regulation will be explored over the next few months – including a consultation document.
The Government has also scheduled ongoing communications and engagement, including public submissions and hearings, as part of the legislative process. Tasman District Council will be requesting that those opportunities to submit and be heard are provided to residents and ratepayers in our region.
King said with no opt-out available, it was important that Tasman’s needs were reflected in all discussions leading up to the implementation of the Three Waters reform and we will continue to engage in those processes wherever possible.
“Given the Government’s decision to mandate the reforms, what is important for us right now is to get the best outcome for our residents and ratepayers under the new structure and to continue managing and maintaining our current three waters assets during the period of transition”.