Three Waters Referendum

Andrew from Havelock North

Hello

TLDR: We need to demand a referendum on three waters for Hawkes Bay.

Edit: STATUS UPDATE HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE COMMENTS.

I can't find anything on Neighbourly so I have made this post to discuss the three waters proposal.

Under the proposal all of the Hawkes Bay water assets and control will pass to another organisation "Three Waters" which will be controlled by Wellington bureaucrats. This is being pushed through urgently by central Government, and local councils are being offered a one time financial incentive to sign up to the process. If this is such an important issue then why is it being rushed? Should we not take a considered approach so that we are all fully informed and aware of any consequence of such a significant change? I see the four HB councils have already agreed to stage 1. Where was our say in this matter? Does commitment to stage 1 mean it is already too late for Hawkes Bay to not be part of three waters?

What we are not being told is how much the new organisation will cost ratepayers. The Westland mayor recently put out a video on YouTube suggesting ratepayers will face a bill of around $1,600 per annum for water. It will be a cold day in hell our rates from local council will fall by $1,600. So this is going to cost all of us - ratepayers and tenants.

We are also not being told how this organisation will be run and what it means for local ratepayers with local issues. Do we want Wellington to control our water assets? I say let's vote on the matter.

I am not a legal expert but I also question the legality of this process. Can a council transfer water assets to an entity that is not a council without undertaking a referendum?

Where is the media coverage on this issue? I suspect the media are very quiet on this issue given they are receiving money to run advertisements on the three waters PR campaign. It's no wonder we are hearing nothing from the media.

We must demand a referendum from our councillors. This is too big a decision to be rushed. Furthermore, the ratepayers who have paid for the assets should have a say in the future of those assets. We must not rely on councillors and media who are selling our water assets for 30 pieces of silver.