Consultation Underway On Proposed Model For Future Delivery Of Water Services
QLDC Property & Infrastructure General Manager, Tony Avery said Council had carefully assessed a range of different models available, as part of central governments Local Water Done Well plan to address Aotearoa New Zealands water infrastructure …
Consultation on Queenstown Lakes District Council's (QLDC) proposal to establish a Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (WSCCO) for the future delivery of water services in the district is now underway, as required by the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024 (WSPA Act).
The proposal is to establish a Council Controlled Organisation specifically created to manage and deliver drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services in the future.
QLDC Property & Infrastructure General Manager, Tony Avery said Council had carefully assessed a range of different models available, as part of central government's Local Water Done Well plan to address Aotearoa New Zealand's water infrastructure challenges.
'As previously shared, we wanted to ensure the model put before the public considered financial implications for consumers amongst several other factors, given the QLDC Long Term Plan (LTP) 2024-2034 is already projecting costs to increase significantly,' said Mr Avery.
'We're now encouraging residents of the Queenstown Lakes District to get involved, carefully read through the consultation document and assessments we've undertaken on the matter, and give us feedback.'
The proposed WSCCO would be fully owned by QLDC, but the organisation would be governed by its own independent specialist board and management. QLDC would be the only shareholder and would appoint board members based on the skills and experience needed for proper governance of the new organisation.
Intended legislation by central government would prevent any WSCCO from being privatised which means that the proposed WSCCO would remain wholly owned by QLDC, and the organisation would not be able to pay a dividend.
Council would set the organisation's strategic priorities and establish measures to ensure it performs to expectations, while the Commerce Commission would use various regulatory tools to ensure water charges are fair, cost-reflective, and transparent.
The other shortlisted option evaluated was for QLDC to continue to deliver water services in-house, recognising that changes would need to be made to enable Council to respond to the new regulatory environment if such a model was progressed with. An in-house model would be similarly subject to the Commerce Commission regulatory requirements.
In addition to cost to households, the WSCCO and the in-house model were assessed on their ability to attract and retain staff, adapt to changing requirements, maximise value and minimise waste, effectively and efficiently manage water services, and deliver to community priorities.
Mr Avery said public feedback was imperative to informing Council's decision on the best option to deliver high quality, resilient, sustainable, and reliable water services in the future.
'Drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater services all cost the ratepayer a significant amount of money, and under all scenarios, including in Council's current Long-Term Plan, water charges are projected to increase substantially,' said Mr Avery.
'I would urge all residents to take the time to understand Council's proposal and the alternative, what this would mean for the future, and to have a say before feedback closes on Sunday 29 June 2025.'
A detailed consultation document on QLDC's proposed future water services delivery model and a feedback form are available online at https://letstalk.qldc.govt.nz/our-water-done-well.
QLDC Councillors agreed to consultation on the proposal to establish a WSCCO at the Full Council meeting on Thursday 29 May 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
16 hours ago
- Scoop
Local Government Amendment Bill Introduced To Remove Council Wellbeing Provisions
Article – RNZ Requirements on councils to prioritise core services will also be imposed. The local government Minister is introducing a bill to remove four wellbeing provisions from the Local Government Act to 'refocus' councils on their core functions. Minister Simon Watts said the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill would help restore discipline and transparency, and push councils to focus on things like roading, core infrastructure, water and rubbish. 'Kiwis are frustrated with rising rates, expanding bureaucracy, and poor value for money. This bill puts councils back to work on the basics, their core services, so ratepayers see real results for what they pay,' Watts said. The bill will remove four well-being provisions – social, economic, environmental and cultural – which were reintroduced by Labour in 2019 after being removed by the previous National government in 2012. It will also impose a requirement on councils to prioritise core services when managing finances and setting rates. Other reforms New financial performance measures for councils, with a requirement for regular public reporting. Mandatory disclosure of contractor and consultant spending. Stronger transparency and accountability requirements. Regulatory relief to reduce unnecessary compliance burdens. 'Local government has drifted from their core responsibilities. This bill draws a line in the sand – focus on the essentials and deliver value for your community,' Watts said. 'This refocusing of our councils will help to deliver better value for money, and ultimately help address the number one issue people are dealing with right now, which is cost of living.' Watts said the bill was a major milestone for local government reform.
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
Local Government Amendment Bill Introduced To Remove Council Wellbeing Provisions
The local government Minister is introducing a bill to remove four wellbeing provisions from the Local Government Act to "refocus" councils on their core functions. Minister Simon Watts said the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill would help restore discipline and transparency, and push councils to focus on things like roading, core infrastructure, water and rubbish. "Kiwis are frustrated with rising rates, expanding bureaucracy, and poor value for money. This bill puts councils back to work on the basics, their core services, so ratepayers see real results for what they pay," Watts said. The bill will remove four well-being provisions - social, economic, environmental and cultural - which were reintroduced by Labour in 2019 after being removed by the previous National government in 2012. It will also impose a requirement on councils to prioritise core services when managing finances and setting rates. Other reforms New financial performance measures for councils, with a requirement for regular public reporting. Mandatory disclosure of contractor and consultant spending. Stronger transparency and accountability requirements. Regulatory relief to reduce unnecessary compliance burdens. "Local government has drifted from their core responsibilities. This bill draws a line in the sand - focus on the essentials and deliver value for your community," Watts said. "This refocusing of our councils will help to deliver better value for money, and ultimately help address the number one issue people are dealing with right now, which is cost of living." Watts said the bill was a major milestone for local government reform.
Scoop
21 hours ago
- Scoop
LGNZ Calls For End Of 'Tug Of War' On Local Government's Purpose
Local government's purpose needs to endure rather than flip-flop with every government, according to Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ). This follows the introduction of the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill to Parliament yesterday, which is part of Government's System Improvements programme to reform local government. LGNZ President Sam Broughton says it is frustrating to see each successive government change local government's purpose every few years, especially when councils' main focus remains delivering critical services to their communities. 'This tug of war wastes time and energy that local government could invest in delivery. The fundamental challenge that councils face is not their purpose, but their lack of funding and financing tools,' says Sam Broughton. 'New funding tools for councils are about sharing the costs more fairly between local and central government, rather than just giving councils more money. 'We need to move past the political sound bites and focus on better partnership to deliver the right outcomes. The wider issue is the need to ensure the right levers are in place for councils." Sam Broughton says that LGNZ welcomes the elements of the Bill that take a commonsense approach. 'We welcome the proposal that councils should have a standard set of standing orders. This just makes sense and will increase consistency around the country. 'We also support introducing councils' ability to able to extend Chief Executive contracts for another five years without advertising. 'However, there are issues in the Bill that need to be ironed out through the select committee process. That includes that 'core services' don't adequately describe regional council functions, missing out things like flood management and biosecurity. 'At our SuperLocal conference in Christchurch this week, we will release research that shows councils already prioritise 'core' work.'
