Anti-reform council to cash in
Collecting Three Waters funds proves controversial
Government cash that could help fast-track Waipā community projects is proving contentious because of links to the Three Waters reform.
Waipā District Council will apply for $5.24 million from the Better Off fund – developed as part of the reform – while opposing the changes, which include amalgamating council water services into four large entities.
A suggestion to seek the Better Off funding was supported by the majority of the council’s service-delivery committee members at a Tuesday meeting.
If successful, the money would be used to make projects including a Land Wars museum, the CCTV network and a cycleway reality much earlier than otherwise planned. The Government says the money can be used for projects which help build resilience to climate change or natural hazards, enable housing development or support community improvements.
The decision was made to seek the funding after the council received an assurance that applying for money would not signal support for the Government’s reform programme.
Mayor Jim Mylchreest said the cash was crucial to get projects moving and wouldn’t stop councillors voicing opinions on reforms, while council chief executive Garry Dyet said it made no sense to refuse.
However, councillor Roger Gordon believed the funding was a bribe and said the council would be obligated to support Three Waters reforms.
Gordon was one of the two councillors who voiced concerns.
If the funding is approved, the council will allocate money to seven existing projects in the Long Term Plan 2021-31:
Te Ara Wai Land Wars Museum ($1.7m), resource recovery centre ($1.235m), Lake Ngā Roto management plan ($360k), Waipa CCTV network ($400k), Te Awamutu to Pirongia cycleway ($1.295m), and Cambridge Library feasibility study ($250k).
Gordon said the annual plan next year was under extreme pressure due to increased CPI, interest rates, and a commitment to building a museum in this climate was not wise.
The cost of the Te Ara Wai project had already risen to more than $19m, he said.
‘‘I am concerned if we do go forward then we will be committed to another $6m for the completion of the Te Ara Wai project . . . and it will fall back on the community.’’
The overall cost of Te Ara Wai project in the long-term plan is $19,164,000, with $7m to be externally funded – of which $1m has been secured via a grant from Trust Waikato.
Deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk argued that the time to debate whether Te Ara Wai remained a priority in the long-term plan (LTP) was three years ago, and it was time to move forward.
She supported the recommendation to accept the funding.
Dyet said that without the funding, the discretionary projects would be held back by a long time. ‘‘Other councils are going to accept it . . . It doesn’t make any sense to me to refuse the money.’’
Mylchreest said accepting $5.24m was crucial.
‘‘Once we have identified the projects in the LTP, we need to start acting on it.
‘‘We can still continue to voice our opinion on Three Waters reforms.’’
A community survey saw a slim majority of respondents support the council accessing the funding. Of the 92 responses, 42 people said the council should apply for the $5.24m ring-fenced for Waipā, 29 said the council should reject any funding and 21 wanted to wait until July 2024 when further funding may be made available.
The council’s iwi consultative committee initially identified papakāinga – communal living on ancestral land – as a priority for the Better Off fund.
However, it will not form part of the funding application and instead a District Plan Change to enable more papakāinga is likely to be brought forward and loanfunded from existing budgets.
‘‘Other councils are going to accept it . . . It doesn’t make any sense to me to refuse the money.’’ Garry Dyet
Council chief executive