Councils hope Working Group has listened on Three Waters Reforms

Hawke’s Bay’s Councils are eagerly awaiting next week’s recommendations from a government-appointed working group considering how representation, governance and accountability arrangements for water services entities can be strengthened in the draft legislation proposing to remove responsibility for three waters service delivery from local authorities.

In October 2021, Hon Nanaia Mahuta announced Government will legislate to force local councils to hand over their drinking, waste and storm water assets to four new multi-regional entities. The changes, which Government expects to take effect from mid-2024, would see responsibility for Hawke’s Bay’s three waters assets and service delivery transfer to a multi-regional entity responsible for the whole of the East Coast of the North Island, the top of the South Island and the Chatham Islands.

At the time, the region’s councils raised important questions about several aspects of the reforms, especially loss of local decision-making, and called for the responsibility for drinking, waste and storm water services to stay in Hawke’s Bay.

Hawke’s Bay’s local government leaders said they were frustrated their questions had not been responded to or that their concerns had not been addressed, in particular:

• Decision-making remains close to Hawke’s Bay’s rural and urban communities
• Hawke’s Bay’s three waters investment objectives and principles are met, including better alignment with regional planning and freshwater management
• That the new water standards set and monitored by Taumata Arowai can be met
• The expectations of Hawke’s Bay’s communities can be met.

They were especially disappointed the Minister has not been prepared to consider their credible proposal for a local alternative that would see responsibility for drinking, waste and storm water services staying in Hawke’s Bay.

Hawke’s Bay councils were not alone in rejecting Government’s proposals. The Minister has appointed a Working Group to consider how local representation, governance and accountability arrangements in the draft legislation could be strengthened.

Councils met with the Working Group in December and presented the independent review of Hawke’s Bay’s three waters service delivery completed in 2020 and the benefits of a regional solution to the way drinking, waste and storm water services are managed.

The working group is due to report back to the Minister this coming week and the Minister and Cabinet will consider its recommendations before the Water Services Entities Bill is introduced to Parliament.