Hawke's Bay has taken a collaborative approach to Three Waters issues, including $50 million spread across all four councils to help with projects like upgrading wastewater networks. Photo / File
Hawke's Bay has taken a collaborative approach to Three Waters issues, including $50 million spread across all four councils to help with projects like upgrading wastewater networks. Photo / File
Gianina Schwanecke gianina.schwanecke@nzme.co.nz
From Central Hawke's Bay's wastewater treatment woes, to stormwater in Napier and the 2016 Havelock North water disaster, the region has a wealth of water crisis experience.
It's one of many reasons local leaders say it's crucial for the region to be represented on the joint Three WatersSteering Committee, tasked with helping guide government reform relating to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.
Hawke's Bay representatives make up 20 per cent of the local government sector members on the committee, who are nominated by Local Government New Zealand and Taituarā, with three out of 15 members.
This includes Hastings district councillor Bayden Barber and Central Hawke's Bay District Council chief executive Monique Davidson and mayor Alex Walker.
Hastings District councillor Bayden Barber, who is also a member of the Three Waters Steering Committee, said the reforms were a "huge" endeavour. Photo / File
Representing Māori elected members, Barber said he brought not only his "cultural background", but also the experiences learnt by the council during the 2016 gastroenteritis outbreak in Havelock North that stemmed from contaminated drinking water.
"As chair of strategy and policy at Hastings District Council, the council that has initiated this piece of work through the Havelock North water crisis, I bring those views from our council.
"I bring that view and experience working through that and investing in drinking water infrastructure.
"It's pretty awesome that we have three members as part of the steering group."
He said reform relating to Three Waters services was a "really big issue", not only for councils in Hawke's Bay but many throughout the country.
"It's huge."
Central Hawke's Bay mayor Alex Walker and the district council's chief executive Monique Davidson are also members of the Three Waters Steering Committee. Photo / File
Barber said the steering committee also have a good spread of provincial and rural experience and issues.
Despite not having a representative appointed to the steering committee, Napier mayor Kirsten Wise was confident the needs and lessons from her council would be well represented.
"From my perspective I'm really confident we've got representation through our Central Hawke's Bay and Hastings members of the steering committee."
She said the region had been collaborating on Three Waters issues for more than two years, and this meant they all had a "good, collective understanding" of what the region faced as well as the issues faced by each council.
An example of that included $50 million of funding announced in November for Three Waters services upgrades for each of the four councils across the region, including Wairoa.
Napier mayor Kirsten Wise was confident the needs of her community would be well represented by fellow Hawke's Bay members of the Three Waters Steering Committee. Photo / File
Wise said one of the issues she would be "keeping a close eye on" in the reform would be talk of these multi-regional entities and what it might mean for Napier City Council.
"What does that mean for a town like Napier?
"What sort of voice will we have if we're competing for funding priorities with the likes of Wellington?
"It's about ensuring that if these reforms go ahead, we're not losing that local representation.
"We had some really good information about what a Hawke's Bay model might look like and we're still very keen for that to be one of the options, as opposed to us being put into a larger multi-regional model."
She said the potential for moving towards being chlorine free was another area she'd be watching.
Headed by the Department of Internal Affairs, the joint steering committee was established to ensure perspectives, interests, and expertise of both central and local government are accommodated as the reform programme progresses, a spokesperson said.
Part of this reform has included the creation of Taumata Arowai, a new, independent Water Services Regulator, to oversee and enforce a new drinking water regulatory framework, with an additional oversight role for wastewater and stormwater networks.
The new aggregated water services delivery model focuses on improving the safety and quality of drinking water services and making access to Three Waters infrastructure more equitable and sustainable.
