Is Labour listening?

Your headline Everyone Agrees to ‘change’ Three Waters (Nov 12) is misleading.

It seems there will be no change on one of the main issues, highlighted by the Green Party which says that councils should maintain ‘‘real ownership of water assets and infrastructure’’. Currently councils can borrow against their water assets to raise loans.

But the draft legislation requires all councils to hand over their water assets so the supersized ‘‘water entities’’ can borrow the estimated $185 billion to fund their work.

Local councils will no longer have the ability to borrow against their water assets because ownership will have transferred to new ‘‘owners’’.

The minister’s promise of ‘‘annual shareholders’ meetings’’ is simply corporate-speak. It ignores the fundamental question: who will own the water infrastructure funded by generations of ratepayers? Not your local council.

This is why the four councils in Hawke’s Bay support a regional model which would maintain key aspects of Three Waters, including the new water regulator Taumata Arowai, while maintaining local ownership and allowing for meaningful roles for mana whenua. Is the Labour Government listening? Or will it simply plough on, using its parliamentary majority to bulldoze this legislation through Parliament by Christmas?

Pauline Doyle, Hawke’s Bay