Mayor welcomes announcement on water reform

South Taranaki Mayor, Phil Nixon has welcomed the National Party’s announcement (Saturday 25 February), of a water reform policy that better protects property rights and local voice.

“Although our Council still needs to look at National’s policy in more detail, it appears to meet all of our requirements for common sense water infrastructure reform that can gain broad support,” said Nixon. “In particular it retains local ownership and avoids the confiscation of local assets and stripping of local influence which is at the core of the Government’s present policy.

Nixon said that on the face of it, the plan aligns with STDC’s position on placing local control and voice back at the centre of community water services and puts the right measures in place to ensure overall accountability.

“We feel there is sufficient rigour in the proposed regulatory regime, and with Taumata Arowai now in place, to ensure that Council water services will meet the needs of their communities and can evolve to meet the challenges of climate change in an affordable manner,” he said.

“At first glance, this seems a sensible and appropriate response to genuine concerns about the state of water infrastructure in New Zealand. It recognises that different areas are in different positions, and it encourages regional collaboration to address these differing needs. This approach ensures that local knowledge of complex systems is valued, rather than the ‘Wellington knows best’ system being proposed,” says Nixon.

“I think National’s policy is more in line with the strong community support for ownership, influence and effective control staying with their local council. But for reform as important as this is there needs to be cross-party support, and I am encouraged by the Government’s recent call to take a fresh look at their model. I hope that party politics can be put aside, and we can work together to get a pragmatic, workable solution.”