Mayor Andrew Tripe: Whanganui ‘very comfortable’ about new direction for Three Waters

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe says he's pleased councils have ownership and control of their assets and decisions under new water services policy. Photo / Bevan Conley

Localism is the winner following the repealing of the former Government’s water reform legislation, the Whanganui mayor says.

The Water Services Entities Act was repealed under urgency last week as part of the Government’s 100-day plan.

Mayor Andrew Tripe said he felt “very comfortable” about the broad direction of the Local Water Done Well policy being developed by the Government.

It will replace the Affordable Water Reform - previously known as Three Waters - which planned to create 10 water entities to control water assets.

“There was obviously a lot of push-back for the previous legislation – 88 per cent of our community didn’t like it and it was something I campaigned very strongly on,” Tripe said.

“What the new Government is signalling is very much in line with where we’re comfortable and where I think the direction needs to go.”

Local Water Done Well introduces greater central government oversight and economic and quality regulation but restores council ownership and control of water services.

It requires councils to provide water services delivery plans outlining how they will deliver on infrastructure investment and financial sustainability.

It would also allow neighbouring councils to band together to create a new type of financially separate “council-controlled organisation” which could independently access long-term borrowing to fund water infrastructure and deliver water services.

Tripe said he was pleased no particular model was being proposed and that regional approaches would be optional.

“There are a bunch of models we can look at, including standalone versus a regional model with other councils within the Horizons Regional Council area, or a cross-regional model with Taranaki.

“It gives us many conversations to have with fellow mayors, councils and council officers to understand what is best for us in the long term.

“We as a council have the autonomy to make decisions for and with our own community. We are able to retain ownership and control of our assets and decisions - that’s why local government exists.

“Localism or subsidiarity have been the winners.”

In politics, subsidiarity is the principle that central government should perform only those tasks that cannot be done at a local level.

Tripe said his council was awaiting more detail on the proposed legislation and in the meantime was talking to its neighbours about the potential direction for Three Waters services in the regions.

The mayors of the Whanganui and Manawatū region wrote to the local government minister in December to advise that they were already working together to establish the suitability of a council-controlled organisation to provide Three Waters services.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.