Pee Kay: The more things change, the more they stay the same!

Once again we find we been badly let down by National. Chris Luxon’s assurances to reign in co-governance were nothing but hollow promises!

The Democracy Action newsletter from earlier this month proves voters have been treated as “suckers” by Luxon/National because they are allowing local bodies to firmly embed co-governance into new water management structures!

“…will ensure that drinking water, stormwater and wastewater remain in local control.” was nothing but political duplicity and political double speak!

Dr Michael John Schmidt: Pragmatic Water Management

In my previous article “WCC’s Actions Are a National Moral Hazard”, the objection to transferring water assets was framed in moral and ethical terms: councils hold critical infrastructure in trust for the public, and irreversible transfers undermine trusteeship and create moral hazards by allowing responsibility to be exported rather than exercised.

Michael Laws: Why The New Water Entities Are A Financial Disaster

Michael Laws talks about Why the new water entities are a financial disaster about to seriously impact your wallet, on The Platform

Click to view

Pee Kay: Local Water Done Well

My [Pee Kay] letter to Simon Watts

To: The Hon. Simon Watts

cc: Prime Minister Luxon, Deputy Prime Minister Seymour, Winston Peters, Katie Nimon MP, Catherine Wedd MP.

Dear Minister Watts,

I write to you as a New Zealand citizen, taxpayer and ratepayer who is deeply concerned at the inclusion of co-governance in local water services being implemented by councils through the Coalition Government’s plan to address New Zealand’s long-standing water infrastructure challenges, Local Water Done Well.

Peter Williams: National about to lock-in co-governance of local water

The following was written in Peter's capacity as Taxpayers' Union board member

In 2022, I joined the Board of the Taxpayers’ Union to fight Nanaia Mahuta’s plan to confiscate community-owned water assets and put them into ‘co-governed’ Three Waters entities.

And with the Luxon-led Government being elected with such a clear mandate, I thought we had won.

So it gives me no pleasure to give you the bad news. Co-governance of local water is back.

Mike's Minute: Central Govt's differing approach to local govt

The battle of duelling responsibilities is unfolding before our eyes and I can't work out whether it all ends in tears.

On one hand you've got the Local Government Minister off to Cabinet with his rates cap plan for councils. The average rate rise is almost 10%.  Inflation isn't.

Ele Ludemann: Keeping local, local

The Waitaki District Council has voted to keep local water local :

“I was surprised at how one-sided it was,” Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher told the ODT after a surprise U-turn by the Waitaki District Council, which has voted to withdraw from a proposed joint water services company with three neighbouring Otago councils, opting instead to manage its water services independently — at least for the next two years.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 6/5/24

Other councils are keen to be next to strike a water deal with govt

Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well.

This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report: