Waimakariri to seek 3 Waters funding, despite opposition

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From local democracy reporter David Hill:

The Waimakariri council will seek Three Waters funding, while maintaining its opposition to the proposed reform.

Councillors voted unanimously at an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to authorise a funding application to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) for $5.54 million of ‘‘Better Off’’ funding.

The application was approved with the insertion of clauses into the draft funding agreement designed to protect the council’s opposition to the government’s proposed reform programme.

The clauses were prepared by law firm Anderson and Lloyd and protect the council’s membership of lobby group Communities 4 Local Democracy.

Mayor Dan Gordon said the funding was a good opportunity for the council to complete some projects which it would otherwise not be able to do in the short term.

The original draft agreement from DIA contained clauses which appeared to prevent councils from opposing the reform agenda.

‘‘They are apparently standard wording in DIA agreements, so perhaps they haven’t been read closely enough in the past,’’ Gordon said.
‘‘But the clauses from Anderson and Lloyd have preserved our principles around Three Waters.’’

Waimakariri District Council strategy, engagement and economic development general manager Simon Hart said initial indications from DIA staff suggested the new clauses may not be acceptable to DIA.

‘‘We sought some advice and we were given several options, we could proceed as planned with the new clauses, or we could delete the offending DIA clauses, we could just go with the standard agreement or not proceed at all.’’

Hart said the recommendation was to proceed with the new clauses ‘‘and we can always revisit it, if it is rejected’’.

Should the application be successful, the council will place a focus on climate change projects.

Elderly persons’ housing, the Kaiapoi to Woodend cycle way, the Rangiora civic precinct project and a Kāinga Nohoanga Strategy project in Māori Reserve 873 were also included.

Councillor Philip Redmond said he was initially going to oppose the funding application, but changed his mind on the basis of the new clauses being inserted.

An assurance from opposition Three Waters spokesperson Simon Watts that National would not require the money to be repaid, should it win next year’s election, had also helped to sway his vote.

‘‘We are effectively receiving a deposit towards our assets and even if we were to turn this payment down we won’t necessarily lose it if there is no change of government.

‘‘But if we don’t accept it now and there is a change of government, the money probably wouldn’t be offered again.’’

The Waimakariri District Council is eligible for up to $22.18m of ‘‘Better Off’’ funding, including up to $5.54m in the first tranche.

The ‘‘Better Off’’ funding is for a five-year programme and projects would be subject to final approval from the council’s utilities and roading committee and will likely be considered as part of the council’s annual plan process.