All drinking water, wastewater and stormwater assets and operations will be transferred to one of four large water service entities across the country. Photo / Getty Images
All drinking water, wastewater and stormwater assets and operations will be transferred to one of four large water service entities across the country. Photo / Getty Images
Taupō District Council is "deeply concerned" about the decision by Government forcing its Three Waters Reform on councils.
All drinking water, wastewater and stormwater assets and operations will be transferred to one of four large water service entities across the country.
Entity B, within which the Taupō District falls, willcover the area from the Coromandel to Taranaki, taking in 22 different councils.
The current timetable for this change is that the new entities will be operating by mid-2024.
Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas says it is "a massive step with deep implications" for everyone in the country.
In September the council called for the Government to immediately halt the process and get all views on the matter after all were given enough time to take in the proposals.
"Neither we nor any other councils were listened to about this urgent need to slow down and taihoa - and that is hugely disappointing," Trewavas said.
"We wanted to work with the Government on this, but we have been turned down. We as a council representing our people immediately recognised the huge scale of the reforms being proposed and the undue haste with which they were being rushed through.
"The way this whole thing is being done is a huge concern for local communities, as shown by 60 out of the 67 local authorities staunchly opposing the way the reform process has been conducted.
"As elected members representing the everyday people of our district, my fellow councillors and I have been inundated with questions and concerns by members of our community, many of whom are outraged by the way this has unfolded – they feel this reform is being done to them, not with them. We fully understand how they feel, as we have been blindsided as well.
"These assets are the people of Taupō District's property, paid for by the local people, now just taken from us without our consent - it's simply not on."
Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas. Photo / NZME
Trewavas said the council was now waiting for its last chance to have a say, once reform legislation goes before parliament and is considered by a select committee.
"Reform around water is needed, but we all have to be taken on this journey together.
"People's voices must be heard to get things right – this is an enormously complicated issue with implications for all. We also strongly encourage all of our concerned community to send their views into the select committee too."
He said the council was disappointed the reform wasn't being conducted as part of the wider future of local government work.
"That would have made sense. It would have given everyone time to look at all the areas logically, in one united approach. This is not what is happening. With the eight-week period, we had the barest time to even try to start to work out what our communities wanted in the waters area."
Trewavas said the council would do everything it could to ensure it kept delivering effective services to the community, despite the change process.
"Again, I urge every concerned citizen to look closely into the three waters issues and submit to the Parliament's select committee their views, as we as a council will be staunchly doing."
