On Wednesday (2 March 2022) Whakatāne District Council held an Extraordinary meeting to consider a Notice of Motion recommending joining the Communities 4 Local Democracy group.

C4LG is a collective spearheaded by Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon which is seeking to encourage central Government to consider alternative models to the current Three Waters Reform Proposal.

Whakatāne District Council voted six to five to join C4LD and to provide $15,000 in financial support.

Council will use alignment with C4LD, continued support for Local Government New Zealand lobbying, and participation in the Government appointed working parties to influence the changes it wants to see in the current Three Waters Reform model. These include the governance structure of the proposed water service entities; service and cost to our communities; private water supplies; impacts on whānau, hapū and iwi; and the wider process of Government reforms.