Whanganui District Council will decide on water delivery model by December

Whanganui District Mayor Andrew Tripe says the council wants to hear from the community "early on" about water options. Photo / NZME

The countdown is on for Whanganui District Council to submit a water delivery plan to the Government, with the community being involved “early on”.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said the enactment of the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill in the next few days would mark the beginning of the 12-month period councils had to develop the plans.

Brown said Water Services Delivery Plans were “the foundation” for Local Water Done Well, the coalition Government’s replacement of Labour’s reform plan, which had proposed four entities to manage the country’s water services but shifted to 10.

A delivery plan can be developed individually or jointly if a council wants to partner with local authorities to deliver wastewater, stormwater and drinking water services.

Whanganui District Mayor Andrew Tripe said the council should take a localised and long-term approach when considering what was best for future service delivery.

“We must be looking three, 10, 30 years ahead around our water infrastructure,” he said.

“We need to consider what collaborating with other councils would look like in terms of cost and efficiencies while retaining local ownership of our water assets and ensuring decision-making at a local level.”

A report last month by the council’s three waters transition manager, Kathryn Stewart, said remaining independent would cause the average cost for a Whanganui connection to rise rapidly in years two to four (2025-28) of the council’s 10-year long-term plan (LTP), by about $200 a connection in addition to forecast rates.

Stewart said joining forces with other councils in Manawatū-Whanganui would make it marginally cheaper, but there was no financially compelling reason to join with Taranaki.

In April, council chief executive David Langford said “going it alone” was a credible option and the council’s LTP had been put together on the basis the council would continue to deliver three waters services.

Tripe said the council had made good investment decisions in the past and increased investment in three waters infrastructure.

It was in “a very fortunate position” compared with many other councils in the country.

“But we acknowledge the new rules will increase the cost for end users, whether we continue to go alone or join up with some of our neighbours.”

Rangitīkei District Mayor Andy Watson this week said he was committed to putting a model for a regional council-controlled organisation for water delivery in front of elected members.

“The question is whether we engage with all of [the] Horizons [region’s councils] or a subset of them, or go it alone,” Watson said.

Ruapehu District Mayor Weston Kirton said there was “a natural progression towards Whanganui” when it came to potential three waters partnerships.

Tripe said the council was looking at all its options, both as an individual council and with neighbours in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.

“By early December the council will need to decide on which delivery model it proposes to put in its Water Services Delivery Plan so that it can consult on the plan in line with the legislative requirements,” he said.

“The council will have to take a range of factors into consideration when it makes its decision about how to proceed — the financial impact on water users, community views and the strategic benefits and disadvantages of joining up with our neighbours.

“We would like to hear from the community early on about our options and what’s important to them.”

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.