Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty today announced details of the Government’s reset of the three waters reform programme, increasing the number of ownership entities from four to ten and a name change to Affordable Water Reform.

“Today’s announcement from Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty shows the Government’s continued disconnect from community concerns over the three waters reforms,” says Westland District Mayor Helen Lash. This is fundamentally the same plan with a new name and a greater number of entities to run the show with little else realized.

Other changes noted just draw more uncertainty around Better Off Funding, the financial impacts on current and future water services-based projects, depreciation of water assets, and annual and long-term plans going forwards. This will cause more stress and anxiety for those working their way through the issues.

Overall, the Government have missed an opportunity to meaningfully engage with local government in finding a consensus approach. Councils and communities want locally led, locally informed and locally accountable solutions, not the one size fits all approach dictated from Wellington.

With these minor amendments to the Water Reform, it appears this vital infrastructure will continue to be used as a political football. In many ways, it creates more questions and uncertainty, and now leaves the 3 waters debacle to be an election issue.”

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