Metrowater - SPURIOUS Conservation Exercise - Public Submissions
To Metrowater Limited And The Mayor And Councillors Of Auckland City
Today is the final day allowed for input from the public regarding Metrowater's plans for conservation, etc.
I tender the following:
1. The short time you have allowed for this exercise is refreshingly indicative of your candour - considering that you
will not be giving the slightest consideration to the viewpoints of any who disagree with your arrogant, dogmatically
held, visions.
2. Last year, you failed miserably to achieve your projected savings in public water consumption.
3. Nevertheless, you had budgetted for a threefold conservation yield - that is, you anticipated greater savings so you
inflated your pricing tariff to allow for that.
4. Over the past two years you have been pursuing litigation in the High Court which resulted in an injunction issued in
December 2000 against Penny Bright and myself. You successfully argued that we are "converting" the water and
"trespassing" on the sewer. In granting your prayers, the High Court has sided once again with business interests over
ordinary working class members of the community, in deeming water and sewerage supplies as "commercial activities" and
not public services, covered under the Commerce Act. Gone are ridiculous notions that many people hold about water and
sanitation being the primary services (and duty?) of a municipality, and a fundamental human right.
5 I am still using your products without payment in spite of the High Court injunction, and the heavens haven't dumped
on me yet. However, since you are so keen to pursue conservation measures, (while at the same time apparently reluctant
to supply me with your products) I have now installed an outhouse with a bucket on my property at 22a Walsall Street,
Avondale, all readfy to use. As well as this, I intend to catch rain water.
6. Do you think I should receive an honourable peer-mention for this initiative??
7. In years past I have been a writer of submissions and a digger into data - all to no avail. Now I am going to ask
your well-paid researchers and coupon-clippers to do something for the public instead of for base motives:
(a) Go back through the records and establish the water consumption achieved voluntarily by the citizens of Auckland
City during the phoney crisis of 1994.
(b) Compare the records of subsequent years and see which municipality in the Auckland Region achieved the highest
on-going proportional savings. I'm confident that you will find it was the people of Auckland City - until Metrowater
was invented.
(c) Compare your record to date of trying to bring savings through punitive charges and anti-social business practices,
with that of Chrischurch City which has consistently refused to use the meters - installed some nine years ago - for
charging purposes. No user charges for domestic water services in Christchurch - no LATES or cocky management types who
wouldn't know the meaning of the term "public service". You will find that Christchurch City runs rings around the
Auckland City Councillors (who are unable, or not willing, to run the most basic of utilities), and its wretched water
company. In that city, an enlightened council leads with a campaign to mobilise the people in a proper conservation
program.
8. In conclusion, I again repeat my total opposition to commercialised water services. I will fight alongside the many
others throughout Auckland City to destroy Metrowater Limited - and one day see the total rout of those politicians who
put profits and cynical market experimentation before the interests of ordinary people.
9. Your conservation push is an utter sham - obscuring your ruthless commercial intentions in 'environmentally-friendy'
phrasemongering and claptrap.
10. Do your worst - you fools - you already have my utter contempt!!
Jim Gladwin Ph/Fax 09 828 4517 22a Walsall Street Avondale Auckland