8 August 2013

MANA Candidate Underscores Right to Water in Regional Council Campaign Opening

The right of everyone to have free access to water will feature in the launch of MANA's campaign for the Greater Wellington Regional Council.

The launch will have a group giving away water while another group tries to sell it.

Candidate Ariana Paretutanganui-Tamati says that proposals for a super city and a proposal that all councils should charge for the use of water by volume could lead to the commercialisation of water. She says that people who are already struggling financially will find it hard to pay water bills.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council's proposal for local government reform is very much like the Auckland super city she says. In Auckland many of the services are now run by Council-owned profit-making companies and all properties now have water meters.

Greater Wellington Regional Council Chair Fran Wilde also chairs the Local Government Infrastructure Efficiency Task Force, which has produced a report whose recommendations include compulsory water meters for everyone says Ms Paretutanganui-Tamati.

The campaign launch will take place at the Bucket Fountain, Cuba Mall at 2pm on Saturday 10 August.

ENDS

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New Court Orders, Screening, Guardianship Changes...: Government Ignoring Poverty, Again

It remains to be seen if announcements today will better protect children, but the National Government is forgoing an opportunity to really help kids by ignoring the elephant in the room, which is poverty, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei says.

"All the experts have told the Government that very low income is associated with higher rates of child maltreatment and neglect -- something which was totally ignored in the Government's Children's Action Plan and the announcements today," Mrs Turei said. More>>