Auckland and Christchurch mayors put forward alternative plan for Three Waters

The mayors of New Zealand’s two biggest cities, Auckland and Christchurch, have today put forward an alternative proposal to the Government’s controversial Three Waters Reforms.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger propose to maintain crucial aspects of the Government’s existing plan, including the new water regulator, Taumata Arowai, while maintaining local ownership, control and accountability, and allowing for meaningful roles for mana whenua.

The plan would replace four large water entities with Regional Water Organisations (RWOs), which would be unable to be sold outside local authority ownership, and would have access to investment capital through a new Water Infrastructure Fund administered by the Government’s Crown Infrastructure Partners, known for its successful rollout of ultra-fast broadband.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown. Photo / Michael Craig

The issue of co-governance would be determined by each local community in consultation with mana whenua rather than by central government.

Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon is already backing the new proposal after the three mayors met in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau today. Other mayors around the country are currently considering the proposal.

In a statement, the three mayors said: “Everyone agrees tens of billions of dollars need to be invested over several decades to upgrade New Zealand’s freshwater, stormwater and waste-water infrastructure – and that requires maximum political consensus to deliver policy stability,” the three Mayors said.

“As a nation, we need to find a way to move forward in a positive and consensus manner - and stop the ugly and angry Three Waters debate that is dividing our county.”

The three mayors said recent local government elections had demonstrated that the Government’s current proposal could never secure the necessary wide public support to be a sustainable policy.

Information about the proposal was supplied to the Government before it was made public this afternoon.

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger. Photo / George Heard

“If two Cantabrians and an Aucklander can agree on this new starting point, we think everyone else should at least be prepared to give it a decent look,” Christchurch Mayor Mauger said.

“Water assets are long-term community investments that deliver services for decades, and we can’t afford wild policy swings each central- or local-government election,” said Gordon, a long-term proponent of a better deal for local government on water assets.

“Not everything in central government’s current plan is wrong, and we have included all the aspects of it that we believe can meet the all-important consensus test,” Brown said.

“Further refinement and development will be needed as we all work together towards a national consensus, with clear benefits to every community identified, understood and accepted.”

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta told reporters this afternoon that the two mayors had noted the current situation was untenable and said she was pleased they had signalled dialogue is wanted.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government was open to making “refinements” to continue with the reforms.

Ardern believed the offer to talk from the mayors was made in good faith.

Cost escalation in rates had to be the priority focus for Three Waters legislation, Ardern said

Mahuta said in the conversation she had with Brown, she urged him to think about how the select committee is responding to the issues raised by the mayors.

“We’re very open to receiving those recommendations [from the select committee].”