Scott says

88,324 public submissions have been presented to Parliament over the Government’s proposed Three Waters reforms. Despite this response, it’s unlikely that Labour will use the submission process as anything more than a rubber-stamp exercise. They remain intent on pushing through these reforms as quickly as possible.

National has serious concerns about the accountability of the proposed water entities. This has been echoed by the Auditor-General, who advised that the governance structure makes it unclear how the entities would be held accountable. Labour needs to listen to the submissions and admit that these reforms have been broken from the start.

If they push through this legislation against overwhelming opposition, the next National government will repeal the changes and ensure water assets remain in local ownership.

Lastly, I know discussing the transport woes of the Western Bay of Plenty is well-travelled ground for long-time residents, but thank you to all those who attended last month’s public meeting and voiced their support for more investment in our local roads. There was a lot of frustration about the piecemeal solutions NZTA have taken to the region’s transport issues, particularly the construction of kilometres of barriers on State Highway 2, which has made entering and exiting side roads difficult.

The transport needs of the region will only become greater as we experience more growth in the coming decades. It’s time to get on with the projects that have been planned for years; a four-lane highway and a bypass at Katikati

If you have any issue you wish to discuss with me, don’t hesitate to get in touch by either calling 0800 550 330 or emailing mpcoromandel@parliament .govt.nz