Whakatāne District Mayor Dr Victor Luca is watching with interest the continuing debate about the Government's Three Waters Reform, reinvigorated by an alternative proposal by the Mayors of Auckland and Christchurch.
The Three Waters Reform group C4LD (Communities for Local Democracy), which Whakatane District Council joined in the first quarter of 2021, has come out in full support of the proposal which encourages all civic leaders to unite in an agreed policy that is ‘beyond political debate and not subject to significant change, from General Election to General Election’.
The proposal is for a new funding model for water infrastructure and suggests the formation of Council owned and managed Regional Water Organisations and encourages Councils to have relationships with mana whenua over Three Waters management in contrast to a co-governance approach which underpins the current Government reform.
"As a Councillor in the last triennium I was vocal in my opposition to the Three Waters Reform proposal and remain unconvinced. As a Council we voted to join C4LD and to contribute towards the group's exploration of alternative models for reform. On that basis I’m very interested in what Mayors Brown and Mauger have to say.
Regarding the Government proposal, I was particularly concerned about the funding model for reform, so the suggestion of an alternative funding structure warrants serious consideration and investigation. Anyone who knows me won’t be surprised that I’ll be seeking out the detail so that I can get a better understanding of what has been tabled and discussing that with Councillors,” Mayor Luca adds.
"I was also extremely concerned about the loss of self-determination over our water resources and infrastructure under the proposed Government model. To my way of thinking, water is by definition local both in terms of geology, hydrology and geochemistry and the relationship that people have to it.
Whatever way you look at it, all parties agree that some form of water reform is necessary so that future infrastructure is affordable and so that all New Zealanders have safe drinking water, environmentally sound wastewater treatment and effective stormwater management. Clearly, better regulation is part of that better management.
This whole debate is about what’s best for our communities so Council will be taking the time to get into the detail of this new proposal to see if it’s a workable solution,” Mayor Luca concludes.