Annual plan now requires Government oversight
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Councils will need approval from the government department handling the three waters reform before they can adopt the 2023-24 annual plan.
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) involvement is a new step and not a layer of scrutiny previously required, Ashburton District Council chief executive Hamish Riach said.
“It is based on the requirements of the recently passed Water Services Entities Act, and is aimed at DIA oversight of council’s decisions during the lead up to the new Water Services Entities becoming operational on July 1, 2024.
“So as I understand it, we need to seek DIA’s approval for the adoption of our annual plan, and DIA will presumably be looking at the manner in which we are treating our three waters assets to be appropriate.”
A DIA spokesperson said the oversight, under the Water Services Entities Act, is to ensure decisions by local authorities do not significantly impact the water services entities.
They will look to see if councils are delaying necessary projects or stockpiling debt for when the assets, work programmes, and debt transfer to the new entities next year.
The area the DIA will be focussed on is the Ashburton council’s decision to defer some renewals to allow for additional road funding and keep the rates increase as close to that forecast in the long-term plan as possible.
“Council has added $1m to unsubsidised roading because of concerns at the condition of our network," Riach said.
“Council has also agreed that, given the historic difficulties of completing all our annual capital work ambitions in the water area and an amount of work brought forward when we did the CBD upgrade, we should reduce the anticipated amount of budgeted work in the 2023-2024 year and reduce our funding of depreciation to match that reduced spend.”
The addition of the roading money and the reduction in three waters renewals “work in opposite directions for the overall rate increase but do impact different groups of ratepayers differently”.
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.2% Yes
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46.8% No
Poll: Pedestrian access is being extended to the Ōtakaro Avon River - good idea?
Pedestrian access from one of Christchurch’s favourite streets is being extended all the way to the Ōtakaro Avon River. This new 12m-wide pathway will give you a direct, easy route from the street to the river promenade ... perfect for a stroll, a coffee run, or just soaking up the riverside vibes.
We want to know: In your view, what makes a city people-friendly?
What else should our urban areas be doing to support better community connections?
Curious about the full plans? You can check them out here.
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93.1% Yes
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6.9% No
A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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