Demand Better 3 Waters
The main reason Communities 4 Local Democracy is advocating to keep a level of control over our water assets is that we feel they are incredibly important to the long-term development and health of our communities.
We also think it’s unfair that billions of dollars of assets can be removed from effective ownership and control of communities without any compensation or even acknowledgement. We think it creates a worrying precedent.
Control and influence is important to us, and we feel it’s absolutely critical for rural and provincial councils such as ours.
At the moment councils get to act in a self-interested manner for their communities, that’s one of the best things about local councils, while often collaborate with our neighbours our focus is on the people in our rohe.
Building good infrastructure is a massive driver of economic development, which is hugely important for smaller communities. Under the new mega-corporate model we’ll just be one of the thousands of communities all competing for a share of capital investment.
If history shows us anything it’s that when these investment decisions are made, from everything from roading to civil service jobs, it tends to gravitate towards the major cities.
We don’t see how water is going to be any different, particularly when the promised savings demand significant cost efficiencies from the new bodies.
This feeds into another one of our concerns is that both the scale of the required works has been massively overstated, and the efficiencies available to the new companies are unrealistic.
Councils already have around $90 billion of three waters investment planned out in their long term plans. This is in line with findings from the infrastructure commission and we’re confident that this would meet the current and future needs of communities.
We just don’t believe the headline number that the Water Commission of Scotland came up with, and our independent analysis has suggested it is based on faulty assumptions and flawed analysis.
While there’s been lots of fire and fury in public meetings and the media the public as a whole hasn’t had much of a chance to have their say.
The only chance to do this is at the select committee process and we’d really urge our communities to ensure they have their say on this topic.
Submissions are now open on Parliament’s website.
For guidance on how to demand better water reform, visit demandbetter.nz to see what councils are proposing, and how you can demand better three waters reform from the Government.
Text and image – Communities 4 Local Democracy
