Govt’s Three Waters scheme is quickly evaporating

It’s good to be back. Since pausing Home Planet, I’ve enjoyed connecting and reconnecting with many residents during the council election campaign.

I really appreciate everyone who shared their views during the election. We had some interesting conversations. Potholes, political transparency, affordability, and Three Waters got lots of attention.

In spring of 2021, I first shared my concern over the Government’s

Three Waters proposal, right here in this column. Many have shared their views before and since, and concern over Three Waters featured strongly in the run-up to and during the election.

Results on election night were as clear as Waikoropupu Springs. What little support there was for Three Waters is rapidly evaporating.

Uniquely, among our larger cities, Wellington remains keen. Why? Perhaps we can trace the answer to 2003. That’s the year Wellington outsourced water services to a multicouncil agency, creating in miniature what this Government proposes to do to the whole country.

Since then, Wellington residents have had it rough with failing water services, “turd taxis”, and geysers from burst pipes.

Other than Wellington, one has to look pretty hard to find councils supporting Three Waters. Most are either openly opposed, or like Palmerston North City Council, they’re largely silent on the matter.

With support drying up, one expects government ministers and advisers will consider their options, and hopefully stop pouring political capital down the drain. Unfortunately, there’s little evidence of fresh thinking in the Beehive. The prime minister’s recent statement — that rates would go up if Auckland Council withdraws from Three Waters — shows how narrow the Government’s vision has become.

Growing frustration with the Government’s fixation on creating complicated, costly, unwanted megabureaucracies comes as no surprise. Government should be focusing on solving the actual problem in the simplest way possible. The Three Waters debate has sloshed about for so long, some seem to have lost track of the actual problem.

It’s rather simple, really. The problem is money. Or, more specifically, too many years of far too little investment into our water infrastructure in communities across Aotearoa. The fix is equally simple. We need to lift investment in the pipes and water treatment facilities to reliably provide clean water and protect the environment.

A proven solution is right under the Government’s nose. It’s called coinvestment. Many recent conversations have only strengthened my view that it is the best way forward.

Co-investment is simple, predictable, fair and efficient.

We already use it for our roading infrastructure.

For every dollar the council invests into roads, central government chips in another dollar.

Compared to the disruption and inefficiency of inventing Three Waters mega-bureaucracies, coinvestment is an effective way to lift investment and balance local priorities with overall strategy across Aotearoa.

I expect one day soon our Government will take stock of the rapidly rising resistance to their unwanted tilt at Three Waters reform, re-focus on closing the investment gap, and adopt the proven coinvestment used in transport.

Brent Barrett is an environmental advocate, Green city councillor and scientist. The views expressed here are his own.