Peter Winsley: The Water Services Entities Bill raises the question: What does Labour stand for?

From the Labour Party’s formation in 1916 until the early 1970s people knew what it stood for. It supported a strong voice for people in workplaces and through their local government and Parliamentary representatives. It was a colour-blind, class-oriented party. It believed in equality of opportunity. It was innovative in international affairs and social policy.

Labour had the courage to carry out radical economic reforms from 1984, whilst at the same time banning nuclear-armed warship visits from our closest allies and standing up for our sovereign rights to do so.

National governments adopted and often expanded on policies Labour had initiated. National were competent economic managers, with the exception of the Muldoon-led administration of 1975-84. Robert Muldoon was intellectually able, had feelings for the underdog, and read well the electorate’s mood. However, his decision to abolish the Kirk government’s compulsory superannuation scheme in 1975 was surely the single worst economic decision ever made in New Zealand.

Graeme Reeves: Water Services Entities Bill – Breaches New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990

On the 25th of May 2022, the Attorney-General of New Zealand (Hon David Parker) received legal advice from the Ministry of Justice (LPA 01 01 24) entitled “Consistency with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990: Water Services Entities Bill.”

The New Zealand Bill if of Rights Act 1990 (BORA) is an Act –

(a) To affirm, protect, and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms in New Zealand; and
(b) To affirm New Zealand’s commitment to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.”

In New Zealand we have one of the oldest representative democracies in the world. Our first general election was in 1853.

Point of Order: While the PM and O’Connor were announcing VIP visits......

......Mahuta was pouring out some thoughts on the wretched water bill

News of the government hoovering the red carpet for VIP visits and cleaning up the environment by advancing the green cause emerged from the Beehive yesterday, including another announcement of Māori mātauranga being to the fore in the government’s conservation programme.

And there was a speech from Nanaia Mahuta which affirmed the Water Services Entities Bill is a done deal and (she expects) the bosses of the four new co-governed water entities will be appointed before the end of the year.

Point of Order: Recommendations in select committee’s hefty report do little to dilute Mahuta’s Three Waters legislation

We were thinking about packing up for the day, here at Point of Order, when an email arrived from the Office of Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

She was advising us the Government has welcomed proposed recommendations from a Parliamentary select committee to improve the workability of water reform legislation.

She didn’t provide a link to steer us to the report, but we found it here and it’s a hefty document.

Natasha Poole: Why I will not be supporting the Water Services Entities Bill

I will not be supporting the Water Services Entities Bill for several reasons. 

In fact, I cannot think of one reason in favour of it. 

Here are the grounds for my decision:

1. The Water Services Entities Bill guarantees, in Nanaia Mahuta’s words, that ‘At a strategic level, the regional representative group will be made up of 50:50 council and iwi representation’. This is not democratic. New Zealand is a representative democracy. However, having a 50:50 council and iwi representation is a false impression of a democracy. It is not representative. It, rather, implies that a quota is being adhered to and that management of the WSEs will not be appointed purely on merit, but on alternative grounds.

Frank Newman: Three Waters – Many Lies

The expression, “An orchestrated litany of lies” was made famous by Justice Peter Mahon (when describing the evidence given by Air NZ executives in the Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Mount Erebus disaster). It could equally describe the Government’s case for its Three Waters reform. 

Local Government Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, says the case for reform is proven. It’s not. The need to expropriate local authority water assets is far from proven and has the hallmarks of being contrived to suit other political purposes.

What we have seen is false advertising and orchestrated ‘news’ items on mainstream media to promote a perception that there is a need for reform. We have been given false assurances that the councils will retain ‘ownership’ of their water assets despite councils having no benefits of ownership and a report prepared by the Internal Affairs Department for Standard & Poors admitting water entities will have “limited Local Authority oversight”.

NZCPR Newsletter: Time to Oppose Three Waters

From the outset, Three Waters has been a damning indictment of the Labour Government. Built on lies and misrepresentations, the whole reform programme is shaping up to be a major election issue in 2023.

But first things first.

The Water Services Entities Bill has now had its first reading in Parliament and is open for submissions. The Bill creates the four regional mega-entities that will take over freshwater, stormwater, and wastewater services appropriated from local councils.

We are encouraging everyone opposed to Three Waters to send in a submission by the 22^nd of July – full details can be found HERE. A big turnout against the Bill would test the resolve of Labour MPs and send an important signal that they ignore the wishes of the community at their peril.

NZCPR SUBMISSION: Water Services Entities Bill

Please note: We would like to encourage as many New Zealanders as possible to send in a submission opposing Three Waters. Short submissions are acceptable. You are more than welcome to consider the following submission as a template. Please use your own words if possible so it is counted as a separate submission - and not lumped in with this one! 

Our NZCPR analysis of the Bill can be found HERE, Frank Newman's excellent evaluation is HERE, and the link to read the Bill and send in your submission is  HERE. Hard copy submissions can be mailed (freepost) and if you have any difficulties making your submission, the Committee Secretariat can help - phone 04-817-9520.

17 June 2021

Committee Secretariat
Finance and Expenditure Committee
Parliament Buildings
Wellington

Dear Sir,

Thank you for providing the opportunity to make a submission on the Water Services Entities Bill.

This submission is on behalf of the public policy think tank, the New Zealand Centre for Political Research.

The NZCPR opposes the Bill and asks the Select Committee to recommend that the Bill be withdrawn on the basis that it is contrary to the public interest and harmful to democracy.