Large majority of Gisborne residents want local control of water services
Photo:
LDR/Paul Rickard/Zita Campbell
An overwhelming 90 percent of Gisborne submitters are in favour of keeping the region's water services in council hands, with ring-fenced funding and targeted rates.
The favoured model could result in households connected to water services facing an average rate increase of $100 per year, while unconnected properties may have an equivalent decrease, according to council estimates.
During a meeting on Wednesday, Gisborne District councillors voted to approve the modified in-house delivery model for its future water services delivery plan.
Councils must submit their water plans to the Government by September 2025 under the Local Water Done Well reforms.
Previous Mayor Meng Foon was among those who submitted, writing in his submission, "water is a public good" and it should stay in public hands to prevent exploitation.
"CCO and private businesses are there for profit, as they are responsible for making a profit," Foon said.
Former Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon verbally submitted to the Local Water Done Well Hearings at the Gisborne District Council chambers on Wednesday morning.
Photo:
Gisborne Herald/Paul Rickard
Consultation ran from 1 April to 1 May this year, with 204 submissions received.
Just one in 10 submitters supported establishing a council-controlled organisation (CCO), governed independently of the council, with water services funded through user charges and external financing.
Under the CCO model, stormwater charges would remain with the council because of its connection with other services like roads and parks.
This option would involve higher set-up costs and debt in the short term, but would have more borrowing capacity for upgrades.
At the hearings, Foon spoke on his submission, supporting the council's recommended option to retain water services under council control.
"Your mana in ensuring that you control and have direction of our waters is utmost.
"Even though it's a CCO, your private organisation cannot borrow money as cheaply as the council."
However, Maraetaha Incorporated, a Māori land entity of Ngāi Tāmanuhiri shareholders, wanted the CCO option to enable an independent governance structure that could accommodate "formal Māori representation and co-governance".
Trustee Beth Tupara-Katene said the Maraetaha lands were taken under the Public Works Act to develop the region's water infrastructure, including three supply dams.
"These sites now form a critical part of the city's municipal water supply, yet our shareholders and whānau have long been excluded from the decision-making, governance and benefit streams associated with that infrastructure," Tupara-Katene told the hearings.
She said the Waitangi Tribunal and Supreme Court have affirmed that Māori hold customary rights to water, which are protected under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Local Water Done Well intends to make services more efficient, locally accountable and future-proofed.
"From our perspective, this can only be achieved if the model is built on the right foundations, recognising Treaty obligations, Māori property rights and our deep and enduring connection to our water," Tupara-Katene said.
Submitters opting to maintain council control emphasised the value of local control (60 mentions), trust in council governance (44) and concern over affordability (62), according to the council's meeting report.
"[The CCO option] was commonly associated with increased bureaucracy, reduced community voice, and a risk of future privatisation."
"Our preferred option avoids the high setup and transition costs associated with CCO, resulting in the lowest short-term impact on rates," the document reads.
The council could also choose to shift approaches later on if they choose to, by exploring shared service arrangements with other councils or a transition to a CCO.
Tupara-Katene said if the in-house model is selected, iwi must be formal partners in decision-making alongside the council.
"One of the highest levels of participation in co-governance is the wastewater committee ... and that has come through a consent condition," she said as an example.
There needs to be a formal decision-making group that can make those decisions alongside the council, she said.
Ngāi Tāmanuhiri chairwoman Pauline Hill (left), and Maraetaha Incorporated trustee Beth Tupara-Tekene and chairwoman Bella Hawkins.
Photo:
LDR/Zita Campbell
During deliberations, councillor Aubrey Ria said if an independent committee was set up to include mana whenua, it should reflect the Mangapoike dam, the Maraetaha community, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri Iwi and Waipaoa mana whenua, as water is drawn from the Waipaoa river.
She also noted it could be like the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan committee, which had two technical specialists who gave "really sound technical advice".
"A make-up of another community board within the council to help guide, shape and mould the governance in that space, I think, would be really beneficial," Ria said.
The council signalled all water service costs will transition to a fully ring-fenced funding structure, from July 1, 2027, as required under the Local Water Done Well legislation.
Borrowing under the in-house model still provides "stable financial headroom" within the council's Local Government Funding Agency cap of 280 percent of operating revenue, according to the report.
Under the ring-fenced housing structure, "households connected to water services are expected to see an average rate increase of $100 per year, while unconnected properties may see an equivalent decrease."
The council will need to decide on introducing water metering, which had a "mixed" reception during submissions, according to the council report.
If approved, the new water service model will take effect on 1 July, 2027.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
34 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Canterbury organic vegetable farm loses $250,000 worth of crops in floods
Photo: Untamed Earth Organic Farm An organic vegetable farm in Canterbury needs seed capital - literally. Untamed Earth Organic Farm lost about $250,000 of crops in the flooding which saturated Canterbury in early May. Co-owner Penny Platt said their farm at Coes Ford was completely underwater and the deluge caused damage to their other sites. The company grew organic crops on 60 hectares of land across several sites in the region, and now needed help to get back on their feet. May's damage was the worst she had seen in her 15 years in the business, Platt said. "The water squishes all the oxygen out of the soil. So if it's underwater for a little bit it's okay but if you get more than a day or two the roots are starved from oxygen and they start dying off. "So even if the plants survive they will die over time. Our carrots have all rotted in the ground; and our spinach yellowed off; and our broccoli is sort of heading up, but its thimble size rather than the nice big head of broccoli." One of the owners of Untamed Earth Organic Farm Ollie Platt. Photo: Penny Platt The company was also unable to get insurance for crops, leaving them short of money for their spring planting, Platt said. They hoped to raise $25,000 from the community . The company ran on tight margins, like many vegetable growers, and did not have a big bank balance to draw on, making the loss of crops a real blow, she said. "Vege growing in New Zealand is facing a crisis. Almost all of the vege growers I know are considering winding up, or have wound up in the last few years. What we are facing is that when you get events like this it's just not economic to continue in business. "But we think what we are doing is important, and we think that our community is going to want to support us to keep doing it." So far there had been a positive response from customers, with donations and support flowing in, Platt said. Fundraising would continue until September with whatever money raised going go towards planting vegetables next season, she said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
34 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Forest & Bird slams reform as 'conservation retreat', but minister defends economic push
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wants to make concessions easier to obtain. Photo: RNZ / Giles Dexter A major overhaul of conservation land law has sparked sharp criticism, with Forest & Bird accusing the government of gutting longstanding protections in favour of commercial interests. The government's intended changes to the Conservation Act , unveiled at the National Party conference in Christchurch on Saturday, aims to "unleash growth" by increasing the number of concessions - or permissions - granted to businesses wishing to operate on conservation land. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said many businesses already run on conservation land, but the current regime was "totally broken", with concessions "often taking years to obtain or renew". However, Forest & Bird said the Bill's changes will shift the focus of conservation law "from protection to exploitation". "This is not conservation reform, it's conservation retreat," said chief executive Nicola Toki. "We should not be making it easier to sell off conservation land for commercial gain. "Our laws should uphold the promise to protect nature for its own sake, for future generations and for all those who hold these places dear." She said the consultation document proposed making about five million hectares of public conservation land available for exchange or disposal, if deemed "surplus" or to "support other government priorities". Toki said this represented "the most significant weakening of conservation law in a generation", warning it would increase pressure on native species and transform the Department of Conservation (DOC) from a protector of biodiversity into a land-use manager. "They dismantle the very purpose of our national parks and conservation lands," she said. "Our national parks are not theme parks - they are taonga with deep cultural and ecological significance. "This feels less like policy and more like an international online auction of the very places that define who we are." Conservation Minister Tama Potaka pushed back on claims the government was selling off conservation land. Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has pushed back on Forest & Bird claims. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii He said the changes were about creating a clearer, faster and more consistent concessions process for a wide range of land uses. "There's a huge backlog - some concessions were taking five-six years," Potaka said. "We've already halved that backlog in the last six months, but we need to change the system, so those backlogs don't build up again." Potaka highlighted that DOC land was already used for various infrastructure and business purposes, including cellphone towers, bridges, guided walks and concerts. He said the government's reforms aimed to bring more transparency and efficiency to how those uses are managed, and to re-invest revenue into biodiversity protection and pest control. "We're trying to get the right balance between the environment and nature, and the economy, but we do need to drive more economic outcomes out of the things we do own as a country," Potaka said. "That land [currently] makes about $50-60 million [annually]. In anyone's language, that might not be enough, especially if we want to re-invest into biodiversity, and ensure more jobs and high wages." Potaka rejected the notion that the reforms shifted DOC from its ecological mission. He said the changes would actually improve conservation outcomes by making the system more navigable for all types of users, including environmental educators and community groups. "People who host outdoor education camps need concessions too," he said. "Often they're more about community and kids than making money." Potaka also pointed to recent funding announcements - including $30m for weed and pest control, and heritage site upgrades - as evidence of the government's commitment to conservation. In addition to changes to land management, the government has proposed charging international visitors between $20-$40 to access four of the country's most popular natural attractions - Cathedral Cove, the Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound and Aoraki/Mount Cook. New Zealanders would not be charged. The prime minister said the new charges could generate an estimated $62m annually, all of which would be re-invested in the same areas. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Mediawatch: The politics of PayWave
Photo: 123RF "Can someone get the Beehive a press secretary who can understand a news cycle?" asked the host of Herald Now show Ryan Bridge, opening his show last Tuesday with a bit of a broadside at the government's political management. "Yesterday we had a 10-minute sermon - that's the opposition's words - from Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon about the cost of living crisis," he said, referring to Monday's post-Cabinet press conference . That was timed for the first anniversary of their tax cuts - so why was that timing so bad? Bridge flourished The Herald 's own front page that day with a scoop about big boosts to the fees that Crown bodies can pay board members. "It's probably the worst headline you could have at a time like this," he spluttered. "Now I'm not saying they don't deserve it, but the timing... come on!" In bad economic times, stuff that looks bad can end up looking a lot worse no matter what day it goes public. The lead story on Herald Now that day also looked like it was timed with optics in mind - banning surcharges on in-store contactless transactions. "Those pesky surcharges on card payments are gone-skis," Bridge declared, echoing the government's own announcement. "Most customers will be very happy to see an end to the horrible little curled up handwritten coffee stain stickers on the EFTPOS machine," Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson told Ryan Bridge. But Bridge was not distracted by the aesthetics of EFTPOS terminals. He wanted to know who would really reap the benefit of the estimated $150 million saved from the surcharges salami-sliced out at stores as things stand. "That will be absorbed into the retail system," the minister said. "Right. Higher prices, in other words?" Bridge asked. "It's not much over the entire New Zealand commercial marketplace," the minister countered. But if so, it would not really cut the cost of living very much at all - and was not really a strong lead story at a time with so much else going on. "We can only pray that Luxon and Willis understand that shifting $90 million from banks to consumers is irrelevant in the context of a $430 billion economy, including the $7.2 billion the banks made in profits last year," columnist Matthew Hooton said in The Herald on Friday. Consumer NZ was not stoked that credit card surcharges applied to online payments were not covered by the ban. "This is disappointing because your flight or accommodation booking or any other online purchases could still attract a surcharge," Consumer NZ said. "Those transactions are generally much more expensive to process because... they have to protect against online scams, online fraud," Nicola Willis told RNZ's First Up . "We've kept them out of the regime for now because part-passing on the charge to the consumer makes more sense there," she added. But banks also deal with that and their charges are regulated - and it is far from transparent now how those costs are covered for online credit card transactions. While the Prime Minister had said on Monday: "You will no longer be penalised for your choice of payment method," media scrutiny this week revealed that users of EFTPOS and cash payers might end up penalised by a ban. "Any transaction where someone pays by swiping or inserting, is free for a retailer. But as people move to contactless... a higher percentage of their transactions will incur a fee," Retail NZ's Carolyn Young told RNZ 's Morning Report . The Commerce Commission recently moved to cap the interchange fees banks charge each other. That was also meant to reduce the cost to retailers. More people now using PayWave could wipe out the other potential benefits. "I think it's really just performative. If we're paywaving everywhere and then the costs are shared across everyone," Dan Brunskill of told RNZ 's Nine to Noon on Tuesday when asked about the PayWave surcharge ban. The same day BusinessDesk pointed out that just 10 days earlier the Commerce Commission had claimed its interchange fee cap would save businesses $90 million a year in payment costs. The Commission [ also said it was already exploring what regulation may be needed to address excessive surcharging, which it estimated at about $45 million to $60 million a year. But Business Desk's headline Government beats Commerce Commission to card surcharge ban showed that in this case, the government might have got its PR timing right to take the credit for reduced credit card payment costs now. The media scrutiny also illuminated another duopolistic aspect of our economy: Visa and MasterCard dominating this payment trade. Alternatives do exist, BusinessDesk tech reporter Peter Griffin pointed out on Wednesday . But he said after the surcharge ban, PayWavers here will be less likely to seek out cheaper solutions if they cannot see they are cheaper. "We should now focus on reducing the underlying costs of payment processing, not simply regulating away the only mechanism for acknowledging those costs. In the world of payments, as in so much else, what's visible on the bill is only the start of the story." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
