PM Jacinda Ardern set for first meeting with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown after he pulls pin on Three Waters work

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will have her first meeting with new Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown on Thursday – a meeting that could be uncomfortable given Brown's campaign against a number of Government reforms and his instruction to pull the pin on any further work to ready the council for the Government's Three Waters reforms.

Ardern had also endorsed Brown's main rival, Efeso Collins, for the mayoralty in Auckland.

Brown will be the third of Ardern's face-to-face meetings with mayors who were elected in the local body elections more than a week ago. She had already met with new Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau and Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger.

Ardern announced the meeting at a press conference - just an hour before Brown issued a press release announcing he had asked Water Care to halt work on the Three Waters reforms, and told Auckland Council to stop its work.

Brown's statement said he had campaigned against the Three Waters reforms, and the local election results meant it was now unlikely they would be implemented in time for the next general election.

Just before that statement was issued, a spokesman for the Mayor told the NZ Herald he was looking forward to the meeting with the PM "and working together with her and senior ministers to fix Auckland".

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Ardern has earlier said the Government was sticking to its guns on the reforms which place councils' water assets in the hands of four regional entities – a step Ardern says will save ratepayers money in upgrading the infrastructure in the long term. However, she has said the Government would consider changes recommended during the select process.

In Parliament last month, Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta said $569 million had so far been spent on the reforms – of that, $523 million was funding and was provided to councils during the Covid-19 as stimulus projects to improve water infrastructure.

While in Auckland on Thursday, Ardern will also meet her old foe, former National Party MP Simon Bridges – their first meeting since he left Parliament and he took up his role as head of the Auckland Business Chamber.

Bridges said he was looking forward to the meeting and would discuss Auckland issues and business sentiment with her. "Obviously I know the Prime Minister from my time in politics, and it will be great to catch up."

Labour MP Paul Eagle will return to caucus on Tuesday morning after his own failed bid for the Wellington mayoralty. On his prospects for re-selection as Labour's candidate in the Rongotai electorate, Ardern said she had no say in selections, which were made by local party members.