New-look Three Waters plan doesn’t meet Northland’s needs - civic leaders

An anti-Three Waters sign on Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo’s property shows he has been opposed to the controversial proposal from the start. He says the revamped Three Waters still won’t deliver what the region needs.

A “major shakeup” of the Three Waters proposal that the Government says will give more say to local councils has been slammed in Northland, with the region still included with Auckland in one of the 10 new regionally-owned water entities.

Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty on Thursday announced major changes to its controversial and widely unpopular Three Waters plan following widespread public discontent.

Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo, who has opposed the “asset grab” since it was first proposed and even has an anti-Three Waters sign outside his home, said the revised plan would deliver nothing for Whangārei or wider Northland.

The original Three Waters plan was to have drinking water, stormwater and wastewater across the country controlled by four entities, with that plan’s Entity A including Northland’s three district councils - Far North, Whangārei and Kaipara - together with Auckland. This caused consternation among Northland leaders that their voice would be lost among the much larger Auckland population and political clout.

Under the new structure, the three Northland councils are still with Auckland in Entity A. McAnulty said the Government had listened to concerns about the plan and had come up with a new model he says will deliver savings to households. He said it’s a major shakeup that will see affordable water reforms led and delivered regionally.

The new structure will see 10 new regionally owned and led public water entities established; a new approach that avoids rates blowout and will deliver savings to households of between $2770 and $5400 per year by 2054; entities will be owned by local councils on behalf of the public, and entity borders are to be based on existing regional areas. Each entity is to be run by a professional board, with members appointed on competency and skill and strategic oversight and direction to be provided by local representative groups with every local council in the country, as well as mana whenua, getting a seat at the table, he said.

However, Cocurullo said he didn’t know who the Government had been listening to as it appears not to have heard the concerns of his and many other councils over the plan. He said that while Whangārei had experienced major issues, particularly with its wastewater overflows into the harbour years ago, the council had since spent tens of millions sorting that out.

If anything, he said, the Government should hold Whangārei District Council (WDC) up as an example for others to meet, not lump it in with Auckland and its much bigger population and voting power.

‘’We’ve already solved the issues this [Three Waters reform] is supposed to address. We’ve done the work, spent the money - including $30 million on the Whau Valley Water Treatment Plant- and now we are being lumped in with Auckland.

Whangārei District Council has already done most of the work needed for an effective Three Waters system, including spending $30 million on the Whau Valley Water Treatment Plan, and should not be lumped together with Auckland, Mayor Vince Cocurullo says.

‘’I’m absolutely disappointed at this ‘reset’. The Government said it has been listening to concerns, but who are they listening to? Certainly not us.’’

Cocurullo was worried that Northland’s concerns and views would be overridden by Auckland issues - and he said Auckland has far bigger issues with its Three Waters than Whangārei or the rest of Northland, as recent deadly flooding there showed.

Cocurullo said last year when he was elected mayor that holding fast to WDC’s position against the Government’s Three Waters plans was the first of five key focus areas in his new role.

WDC, along with South Canterbury’s Timaru and Waimakariri district councils, challenged the then Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta and Secretary for Internal Affairs Paul James over Three Waters.

High Court judge Justice Jillian Mallon dismissed a claim by the councils seeking a declaration preventing the Government from taking the assets without compensation.

Far North District Council Kōwhai - Deputy Mayor Kelly Stratford said while the council welcomed aspects of the announcement, especially the 10 regionally led entities, the changes did not fully reflect the wishes of Northland councils.

‘’We are concerned that this proposal will not now be implemented until 2026 rather than 2024 as originally proposed. We have already undertaken considerable work to meet that timeframe,’’ Stratford said.

‘’Northland councils will now have to adjust existing work programmes and Long Term Plans to reflect the extended timeframe. As a council, FNDC will now need to discuss how the changes announced today will impact on our long-term budget and borrowing capacity.

‘’Preparations are well advanced to meet the 2024 timeframe and this delay may add further unwelcome disruption to the work programme of upgrades and renewal of wastewater plant consents.’’

Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson was approached for comment but had been unable to respond by edition time. However, Jepson has previously been critical of the Three Waters plan.

McAnulty said the Government had listened to concerns and had made changes to overcome some of those concerns.

‘’The Government has listened to feedback from local government and is announcing major changes to New Zealand’s affordable water reforms by agreeing to establish 10 new regionally led entities, which will still deliver big cost savings to New Zealand households,’’ McAnulty said.

“These reforms are absolutely essential. Leaving things as they are will mean unaffordable rate bills. Over the last few months, I’ve been working closely with Local Government leaders and relevant stakeholders on how to progress New Zealand’s long-overdue water infrastructure reforms.

“The feedback has been overwhelmingly clear that our water infrastructure deficit needs to be addressed now if we’re to save households from ballooning bills that will make water unaffordable. But also that the reform programme must be led at a regional level - we have listened closely and absolutely agree.

‘’Leaving councils to deal with this themselves will lead to unaffordable rate rises. It would be setting councils up to fail and I can’t in good conscience do that,’’ McAnulty said.

The water services entities will start delivering water services from July 1, 2026, at the latest.