Three Waters Online Feedback Survey Information
Three Waters is a government proposal to take over ownership of all water infrastructure (fresh, sewage and storm) and planning from local authorities. Four area holding enterprises will control all of the water. Local democratic control of water and associated infrastructure will be replaced by government centralisation. Tauranga will be controlled from Hamilton. Governance of each holding company will be a sharing arrangement of appointed iwi and local authority appointees.
By 30 September 2021, local authorities must report the feelings of their local ratepayers to central government. What information have you received from Tauranga City Council to enable you to take part in this debate? The acceptance of the scheme is currently voluntary and local authorities can opt out. To date, more and more councils are opting out.
We recently wrote to Tauranga City Council and the commissioners requesting the following to provide data for a meaningful debate.
1) Total replacement cost of pipes, stormwater structures, sewage plants, water treatment facilities already in use in Tauranga City.
2) Debt relating only to the above.
3) A full analysis and breakdown of 3 Waters estimated cost per household for future for Tauranga. Compare this with costs of retaining the service inhouse as now (near, medium and long term)
4) A full business case showing the comparisons.
5) The amount of revenue TCC will lose per annum.
6) Benefits of the central government scheme v cost of the scheme to Tauranga.
7) The governance structure.
8) How the scheme would work with control from Hamilton. Look at the low level of cooperation and service Tauranga gets from Waka Kotari (NZTA). Will Tauranga receive better with 3 Waters?
from Castalia Report prepared for the Whangarei City Council
Summary:
The government plans to take over all water infrastructure with a very low payment to local authorities for their investment. Local democratic control of water will be removed. Here in Tauranga, ratepayers have invested over $1.6 billion. Tauranga has a world class water supply and sewage system.
Our recommendation is that
This decision to OPT IN/OPT OUT must be made by ratepayers in a REFERENDUM after all the information is made public.
Reference Material
More reading:
1. Department of Internal Affairs — Summary of Proposal 2872-DIA-A3-A New Water with-without reform Map 20210526 v2.7
2. Hamilton City Council summary for ratepayers Presentation title (hamilton.govt.nz)
3. Individual Council models (for Tauranga) prepared by WICS (consultant to government)
4. Very detailed report by Castalia for Whangarei Council on the 3 Waters Scheme rejecting joining the scheme.
5) Legal Opinion written by Gary Judd.
6) Three Waters - Lifting the Veil of Complexity by Frank Newman
Please participate in the online Feedback Survey below
THREE WATERS Feedback Survey
Your views are important in the council decision making as it is your home and community that will be affected.
Please complete each question and hit the SEND button. We need as many participants as possible to be a representative view of the Tauranga ratepayers. This is a survey for all ratepayers of Tauranga. Please tell your friends and neighbours. We will send out results by email. Tauranga City Council is not conducting a similar survey.