Three Waters Reform: Waipā residents support Better-Off funding application

Lake Nga Roto, near Ōhaupō. Photo / Dean Taylor

A survey indicates most Waipā residents think the local council should apply for the first tranche of the Government's Three Waters Better-Off funding.

In a short Waipa District Council survey that drew in 92 responses, 42 people said Waipā should apply for the $5.34 million.

The full consultation results will be reported to a council workshop on Tuesday which is open to the public.

One of the voices in favour of the funding application is the council's iwi consultative committee, which said parts of the funding should be used for papakāinga developments (communal living on ancestral land).

Papakāinga is already allowed in some parts of Waipā but a change to the District Plan is required for more to be developed. There is currently no budget for this work.

Recently, the council shortlisted seven local projects to receive parts of the funding, but the papakāinga development was not one of them.

Out of the 92 people responding to the survey, 29 said the council should reject any funding and 21 wanted to wait until July 2024 when further funding may be made available.

The survey also asked respondents to rank the seven shortlisted projects according to their priority.

The majority of people ranked a resource recovery centre and the development of the Te Ara Wai land wars museum as top priorities.

A final decision about whether or not to apply for funding, and for what projects, will be made by the council's service delivery committee on September 20.

The Better-Off fund was developed alongside the Three Waters reform programme to help councils pay for projects that help build resilience to climate change or natural hazards, enable housing development or support community improvements.

While the Waipā District Council continues to strongly oppose the Three Waters reform, it can still apply to the fund and still continue to criticise the reform proposals.