Tararua council candidate Alison Amboy says the community shouldn’t be left surprised by a decision as important as water meters.
On June 11, Tararua District Council announced it had voted to progress work on a joint Wairarapa Tararua water services model, set out under the Government’s Local Water Done Well reforms.
The decision means that a joint council-controlled organisation (CCO) for water services will be established with the district councils of Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa.
Water meters will be established for those on Tararua council supplies, in some cases as early as the end of the year.
Amboy, of Dannevirke, who is running for a Northern Ward seat, said she had found out about water meters for the district through the Local Water Done Well consultation document, but said many people wouldn’t have read it due to its complex nature.
“For the general public, they don’t go out and want to read a whole long documentation with words that are hard to understand,” Amboy said.
Amboy is calling for simpler language use for council matters, so the public can engage and understand what will impact them.
She said the community was surprised by the announcement.
Amboy said she had attended Local Water Done Well meetings and said there were a lot of empty seats.
“You would think the whole building would be filled because this is one of the biggest major decisions within the council and our district in the past decade.”
She believed this was due to the topic being hard to understand, so people were choosing not to or finding it hard to engage with the matter.
“The words and the language they use aren’t of public knowledge, so the public doesn’t feel like they need to have a say.”
Amboy said she was in favour of water meters and could see the benefits long term for the community, but worried how the charge, which is yet to be decided, would impact people on fixed or low incomes or the pension.
Currently, about 11.4% of water users in the district have a meter – that’s 658 out of 5787 connected properties.
A Tararua District Council spokesperson said water meters weren’t a standalone item but were included in the wider Local Water Done Well consultation, which was publicly notified through multiple channels and received 83 submissions.
The council is investigating hardware, software and water charging options and is working on backflow prevention so that dirty water cannot come back into the drinking water network.
Although it had not been confirmed yet how charging would be turned on, the council was likely to lock in a transition process to the new charging system, which would be consulted on in the new financial year.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve how we communicate and consult. We’ll continue to provide clear updates as the water meter rollout progresses and welcome ongoing feedback.
“Clear communication is really important to us, especially on topics like water meters, which can be quite technical. That’s why we’ve made a real effort to avoid jargon and explain things in plain language.”
The spokesperson said meters aligned with other parts of the country and was funded through the council’s Long-Term Plan, with the total cost estimated at $4.98 million. It will be funded by a loan and repaid through rates over time, not by individual up-front charges.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.