Tauranga City Council Commissioners this week reviewed recent updates relating to the Government’s Three Waters Reform proposal and agree that several issues remain unresolved, particularly around the clarity of information.

Tauranga City Council Commission Chair Anne Tolley says this massive reform proposal is not well understood in the wider community.

“We still have a number of concerns which have not been addressed and we need much stronger communications from Government on how this all fits together,” she says.

In April, the Government announced that it had accepted 44 of the 47 recommendations from the water reform working group set up to address governance and representation concerns from the Local Government sector. The recommendations saw concerns about the potential for future privatisation alleviated.

“These changes have addressed our privatisation concerns, but other points raised previously by our council have not been adequately addressed,” Anne says.

“Issues around lack of communication, growth planning, shareholding and asset ownership are still unresolved,” she says.

The seven significant issues that need to be addressed from a Tauranga Moana perspective were outlined by Tauranga City Council staff in a report presented at this week’s council meeting. These include:

• Mana Whenua roles and responsibilities
• Governance arrangements
• Meeting community’s growth and development needs
• Communications and engagement
• Managing stormwater infrastructure
• Fair transfer of debt and fair recognition of net asset value
• Funding availability.

In the coming months, Government is expected to begin the parliamentary process for the Water Services Entities Bill. This Bill will enable the establishment of four new water service entities and define how water services are managed.

Anne says commissioners continue to receive requests from the community to hold a referendum on the water reform, but noted that this would have no effect on the government process.

“There is a misunderstanding about the reform process. This is a government-mandated reform – it’s happening to us, not because of us,” she says.

“A local referendum will not stop the reform and would be a complete waste of time and money. The only way people can have their say and seek to influence the reform is through the Government’s parliamentary process.”

Tauranga City Council has resolved to continue to advocate for community concerns to be addressed and to support community involvement in the legislative process. Council will also begin separate work to prepare for the transition to the new entity.

“It’s essential that we take prudent action to prepare for this huge change and manage the uncertainty we face as an organisation,” Anne says.

Te Rangapū Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana (the representative group for iwi and hapū in Tauranga) agrees that there is still a lot of information about the reform to come to light and will work with Tauranga City Council through transition activities.

Matire Duncan, Chair of Te Rangapū Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana said that while there is much detail yet to be revealed, Te Rangapū are pleased to see a high degree of alignment with mātauranga Maōri in the government’s recommendations.

“We see great value in a high degree of community ownership, the preservation of the local voice and the value that a strong Māori perspective at all levels can bring to benefit the entire community,” Matire says.

“We will continue to work closely in partnership with Tauranga City Council to ensure Tauranga Moana is protected throughout these changes,” she says.

For more information visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/council/water-services/three-waters-reform.

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