Rural three waters group gives feedback

AuthorDanielle Zollickhofer
Published date17 June 2022
Publication titleHorowhenua Chronicle
The group made 30 recommendations, including that privately-owned rural water supplies should keep managing themselves instead of handing over to the Three Waters entities

The rural working group was established to make sure rural needs are recognised in the reform.

Waikato members of the rural working group included Ruapehu District Council chief executive Clive Manley and Ōtorohanga District Council Mayor Max Baxter.

Working Group chairman and Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan says the group listened to the concerns of rural communities.

“We recognise that rural drinking water schemes often provide water for farming as well as for people to drink. We also recognise that rural people have just as much right to safe water as urban people, but it’s not one size fits all.”

There are two types of rural drinking water schemes: privately owned and council-owned schemes. Privately owned rural suppliers number in the tens of thousands, while there are roughly 100 council-owned rural schemes.

Cadogan says the working group thinks that council-owned rural drinking water schemes should generally transfer to the new water service entities, “so that on day one of the new system their water services will continue as normal”.

However, he says that some council-owned rural supplies which are critical to farming needs should be given the option to revert to ownership by their users.

“This would apply to schemes that are critical to farming and whose users have the capability and resources to operate them without support from councils or water services entities.”

In some cases, ownership of schemes is unclear or undocumented, for those schemes, the working group recommended a case-by-case negotiation.

The Three Waters Reform does not apply to or impact private rural supplies, however, suppliers of those will be required to abide by stronger standards set by the new water regulator Taumata Arowai by 2028.

Cadogan says the working group heard concerns from the rural community about complying with the new regulatory regime.

“We recommend that Taumata Arowai provide practical and cost-effective ways for schemes to comply, that recognises their uniqueness and closely involves rural stakeholders in designing and implementing regulatory require-ments.”

Outgoing Waikato District Mayor and third-generation farmer Allan Sanson says while he agrees that the privately-owned drinking water schemes should stay in private ownership, he thinks the regulatory requirements for private suppliers...

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