Way ahead for water services city’s ‘most important’ issue
Sorting out the way forward for water services in Hamilton is the “most important” issue the city faces, say the mayor and senior councillors.
Their comments at a council meeting yesterday came during discussion on a report outlining moves to bolster co-operation on services – including water supply, wastewater and stormwater – to boost efficiency and economies of scale.
The new draft report for a joint council and iwi leaders forum says Waikato councils are now officially facing an almost doubled $5.4 billion price tag in water services-related costs over the next decade, compared to three years ago.
Future co-operation could potentially involve a stand-alone collective water services organisation, sub-regional bodies or individual councils carrying on alone.
Discussion on a combined way forward is taking place under a Waikato Water Done Well banner.
Mayor Paula Southgate said she shared the view that clarifying the way forward for water “is the most important decision we’ll be making this term of politics, when you consider that 30% of our forward infrastructure is waters-related infrastructure”.
“It’s a massive part of the business that we do. We need to get it right.”
Besides deciding who to co-operate with, Hamilton needed to sort out financing, Southgate said. “We simply cannot afford at this time to build all the waters infrastructure that we need for this fast-growing city.”
Economic development committee chairperson Ewan Wilson said the future of water services was “probably the most important process facing this council, in fact every council in the country”.
He remained concerned the council hadn’t proposed funding the installation of water meters in Hamilton as part of the draft long-term plan because they were a key to managing water use long-term.
They would “enable us to charge for use” as a logical step under the co-operation options being floated. He planned to raise the issue again as part of the draft long-term plan hearings.
Strategic growth and district plan committee chairperson Sarah Thomson said finding waters solutions was “the most important thing we can do as a council when it comes to rates affordability and securing the long-term future for the city, for both quality water services and growth”.
She wanted the city to be a “willing partner” to the likes of Waikato District Council, whose waters management contract with Auckland-based Watercare is due to end in 2026.
“Walking the talk” was needed when it came to co-operation, Thomson said.
Chief executive Lance Vervoort noted the new Government was yet to finalise its approach on water services after the ditching of Labour’s mega-entities approach. “The devil will be in the detail going forward.”
Councillors appointed Southgate to represent Hamilton’s interests in the joint forum’s Waikato Water Done Well work.
An update on future options is due back with the joint forum in July. Also, a council waters working group involving councillors has been established to act as a sounding board for waters reform issues and options.