Councils continue to collaborate on evaluation of Government’s three waters reform proposal
The region's four councils have decided to work together to review the analysis and modelling behind Government’s proposal to transfer delivery of drinking, waste and storm water services (three waters) from local councils to four multi-regional entities.
In a joint statement, Wairoa District Council, Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council said they have decided to work together to review the analysis and modelling behind the proposal.
As part of its reforms of three waters service delivery, the Government has proposed the transfer of local councils’ three waters assets and services to four multi-regional entities across the country and last week announced a comprehensive support package intended to ensure no council or community would be worse off following the transition to the new system.
Under the proposal, responsibility for Hawke’s Bay’s three waters services would transfer to a regional entity comprising 21 councils from the East Coast of the North Island, the top of the South Island and the Chatham Islands. Each council would be allocated transitional funding support on the basis of a nationally consistent formula that takes into account population, relative deprivation and land area.
If agreed upon, Hawke’s Bay’s four councils would be allocated funding support; Central Hawke’s Bay ($11,339,488), Hastings ($34,885,508), Napier ($25,823,785) and Wairoa ($18,624,910).
Councils have been asked to provide feedback to Government on the impact of what’s proposed and the support package on offer, and to put forward any questions that remain unanswered.
Alex Walker, Mayor of Central Hawke’s Bay says the region’s councils all agree that to meet the requirements of new water regulations, change is required in how water infrastructure and services are funded and delivered.
“Last year we released the report of our own independent review of the future costs three waters service delivery for Hawke’s Bay. We knew government was looking at reform and that’s why we worked together to assess the options for a regional approach to three waters service delivery that would achieve affordability and sustainability for all of Hawke’s Bay’s communities.”
“Now that Government has done its own analysis and proposed just one option, we think it is important we work together to review how their modelling stacks up against our own and whether or not what’s proposed would deliver on our regional objectives,” she says.
Kirsten Wise, Mayor of Napier says that going into the regional review of future service delivery options back in late 2018, the five councils of Hawke’s Bay put considerable thought into the criteria for any ‘best imaginable’ regional solution.
“We all agreed that affordability, resilience, building enduring capability and capacity and a meaningful role for Māori, were critical to any alternative to the status quo for our communities. That remains the case today and together we will need to be convinced the model that Government is proposing will deliver those outcomes.”
“Our community needs to be at the core of this decision so we must ensure we have the opportunity to consult fully on the options, and under any model have representation and a strong voice on a water entity’s governing board”.
Mayor of Wairoa Craig Little says: “There is so much at stake for our communities in the decisions that lie ahead. That’s why we need to be convinced that the model Government is proposing will deliver what our communities deserve.”
Sandra Hazlehurst, Hastings District Mayor says the Government has given councils eight weeks to review the proposal, the modelling behind it and the support package on offer from Government.
“It makes absolute sense for us to work through that process together as a region so we can compare Government’s assumptions and modelling against the considerable analysis and wider perspectives that went into our own detailed review.
"Our council has invested $100M in safe drinking water - careful consideration must be given to the ownership of these ratepayer-funded assets. That is what our community expects of us. Any decision on changes to the service delivery and ownership of three waters assets for our community will be made by our community.”
