Not all councils in same ‘sorry' water situation
MSimply removing these assets
from local councils and putting them in the hands of
monopolies solves nothing.
ost people don’t realise that in 2016, the former National government set the terms of reference for the Havelock North Water Inquiry that made amalgamation and mandatory chlorination inevitable.
The Department of Internal Affairs has called the shots from the outset and in September 2017, this “poisoned chalice” was handed to Local Government Minister Mahuta.
The Government’s proposal is to transfer council water assets to a new multi-regional entity. In Hawke’s Bay we stand to lose water assets worth roughly $2 billion.
The threat of privatisation is said to be protected with a referendum of 75 per cent or more, but what is there to stop a new incoming government from changing the legislation and selling off hundreds of billions of dollars of public assets? It has happened before. The electricity sector is a prime example. Amalgamation is not the answer. Imagine how many individual and unconnected water supply systems there will be throughout the country. At least with the electricity reforms of the past, even though electricity didn’t get cheaper as was promised at the time, the grid was connected throughout the country.
Water supply is not connected within districts and regions, let alone the whole country.
An alternative option that could be worth considering is for the Crown to establish a Three Waters advisory and capital works funding agency, the expertise and resources of which could be called upon by councils when considering new investment options or upgrades.
Under such a model, the Crown could contribute funding to capital works, along the lines that the transport agency does for council roading. This would assist financially strapped councils like Central Hawke’s Bay.
And it would bring improved consistency across the sector, insight for small councils into the latest technology available, advice on the best solutions for upgrades to meet increasing standards, and assistance with infrastructure funding solutions.
Importantly, it would leave decisions on investment in the three waters to local communities to make through democratic processes, something the proposed water entities will not achieve.
Rural and growth councils do need guidance and support in the three waters space. But simply removing these assets and service responsibilities from local councils and putting them in the hands of monopolies solves nothing.
Residents in Hawke’s Bay could end up subsidising Wellington City under the government proposal to amalgamate water services into four super-sized regional entities run by anonymous bureaucrats.
As Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise has pointed out: “How will fair representation be achieved with a maximum of 12 members on the Regional Representation Group, given that Entity C will cover 22 councils?”
Not all councils are in the same sorry situation when it comes to the standard of their water supplies.
Some have performed better, and positioned themselves better for the future, than others. Napier City Council has budgeted $400 million over the next 10 years for its water infrastructure including $74 million to modernise the drinking water network and the remainder to fund stormwater and wastewater upgrades.
Napier’s mayor says the council will fast-track water projects to ensure new regulatory standards for drinking water are met within five years, and the city will use chlorine to keep the network safe but will work towards a chlorine-free network.
However, there is no guarantee that chlorine-free water will be an option under the Government’s proposals.
Then there’s the issue of funding. As Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says: “These new entities will have to borrow money to develop infrastructure and provide services and the only way this money can be paid back is by residents paying for it, so effectively another rates account.”
We don’t drink river water in Napier.
But under a one-size-fits -ll approach we stand to lose sight of local knowledge of Napier’s unique resource of pristine artesian water.
The council is working to resolve Napier’s discoloured water issue. Council staff know that chlorine oxidises with manganese in the artesian water in some of our bores.
The council is drilling two new bores in the Taradale bore field, which does not have the problem of excess manganese.
Prior to permanent chlorination in 2017, directed by the Ministry of Health, the harmless manganese biofilm was cleared from the mains every year and the sludge was flushed down the gutters.
But now a volatile cocktail containing chlorine and manganese comes out the kitchen taps every day.
Our local council understands the importance of this work, but anonymous bureaucrats within a super-sized regional entity are unlikely to have a clue.
If the Government is determined to force amalgamation on all councils, it is unlikely we will taste chlorine-free artesian water in Napier ever again, except in a bottle.