Local Government Minister Simon Watts: 20% of Councils' Water Plans Approved, Benefitting 2.5M Kiwis

Twenty percent of councils have now had their water services delivery plans approved, Local Government Minister Simon Watts says.

Within two weeks of councils submitting their plans, more than 2.5 million New Zealanders now have an accepted, financially sustainable delivery approach for their water services for the next ten years and beyond, using the tools developed under Local Water Done Well, including the Watercare Charter, Mr Watts says.

Accepted today, the Waikato Water Done Well plan will combine water services for over 130,000 people in the Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, Ōtorohanga, South Waikato, Waipā and Waitomo District Council areas. This is an unprecedented and impressive collaborative effort between councils.

With Taupō District Council as a shareholder in Waikato Water Done Well, there is an opportunity to achieve efficiencies for a further 40,000+ people in the coming years. I’m encouraged Taupō is taking advantage of shared services and is open to joining the CCO as benefits are realised.

Hurunui and Kaikōura District Councils’ CCO plan was also accepted, and I’m advised they are keen to look at options to join forces with neighbouring councils where it makes financial and operational sense to deliver shared services at scale in future.

With the help of long-term lower-cost finance available under Local Water Done Well, CCOs can service their debt at lower levels than they can going it alone. This means they will be able to plan coordinated infrastructure works and spread the costs over time, so they are more fairly shared between current and future ratepayers.

By ensuring water plan costs are well managed, we can ease the financial pressure on council’s and their communities. It will mean Kiwis are able to keep more money in their pockets.

This will ensure water plans are prudent and costs are well managed, easing the financial pressure on councils and their communities. It will mean Kiwis are able to keep more money in their pockets by ensuring water services delivery costs are well managed.

Subject to rigorous criteria under the Local Water Done Well legislation, councils that have plans opting for in-house business units also accepted to date gives me confidence in the financial sustainability of their plans.

What is clear is that that regardless of the delivery model chosen, after decades of underinvestment, Local Water Done Well is delivering much-needed investment nationally in water services infrastructure while providing local council decision-makers the options that suit the communities they serve.