Three Waters sweetener decision deferred

Councillor Ewan Wilson said he couldn’t support signing up because there were unanswered questions.

Hamilton City Council is holding fire on a decision about accepting $58 million from the Government as part of the Three Waters reforms.

One councillor said there were too many unanswered questions about the financial impacts on Hamilton and another was worried ‘‘the buyer’’ – Internal Affairs – was setting its own price.

The money would come from the Government’s so-called Better Off Funding package. It was first announced last year and would be for use in areas such as transitioning to a low carbon emissions economy, building resilience to climate change and natural hazards, and housing.

To get the money, the council would need to work collaboratively with the Government over Three

Waters but wouldn’t be constrained from criticising the reforms publicly, staff advised.

A report to council said a first tranche of $14.6 million could become available in July if the council signed up. The rest, up to $58.6m, would be available from July 2024.

The report suggested signing to lock in the funding with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) but delaying actual participation in the funding system to allow much more time to plan how it will be spent. It noted there was already a full council programme between this year and 2024.

But councillor Angela O’Leary expressed concerns over the net financial advantage or disadvantage of the reforms and the payment to the council. She was worried about DIA determining the $58 million offer.

Councillor Ewan Wilson said he couldn’t support signing up now because there were too many unanswered questions. The hui agreed to a motion delaying a decision until more information was gathered and consultation was completed on July 7.