Northland's biggest water services changes kick off in Whangārei
Whangārei District Council (WDC) yesterday voted to set up a Northland-wide council-controlled organisation (CCO) as part of the Government's Local Water Done Well change requirements.
The decision was a major milestone,
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Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Water Services To Be Managed And Delivered By Council Controlled Organisation
Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has confirmed a Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (WSCCO) will be specifically created to deliver water services in the district, after the matter was considered at the Full Council Meeting on Thursday 31 July 2025. The decision follows a proposal put before the community in May and June 2025 to manage and deliver drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services, as part of central government's Local Water Done Well plan to address Aotearoa New Zealand's water infrastructure challenges. Mayor of the Queenstown Lakes District, Glyn Lewers said the decision reflected analysis that a WSCCO would be the most effective at providing these services under the new legislative and regulatory regime, and enabled Council to begin preparing to create an organisation to deliver future water services. 'Key themes arising from feedback centred around the costs to households, costs to implement and operate a potential WSCCO compared with the in-house model, along with comments around accountability, transparency, and managing a separate entity effectively,' said Mayor Lewers. 'The decision to progress with a WSCCO last week was undeniably a challenging one to make, but considered that this model will provide a range of advantages in accountability, independence, and lower household costs in the long term when compared with the in-house model.' Now decided on, the future WSCCO will be fully owned by QLDC, but the organisation will be governed by its own independent specialist board and management. QLDC will be the only shareholder and will appoint board members based on the skills and experience needed for proper governance of the new organisation. Intended legislation by central government will prevent any WSCCO from being privatised which means that the WSCCO will remain wholly owned by QLDC. Council will set the organisation's strategic priorities and establish measures to ensure it performs to expectations, while the Commerce Commission will use various regulatory tools to ensure water charges are fair, cost-reflective, and transparent. The other shortlisted option evaluated was for QLDC to continue to deliver water services in-house, recognising that changes would need to be made to enable Council to respond to the new regulatory environment if such a model was progressed in-house model would have been similarly subject to the Commerce Commission regulatory requirements. Letters and emails were sent to all ratepayers in the Queenstown Lakes District, along with supporting communications material shared in local papers and on a range of online platforms, all detailing the opportunity to share feedback on the WSSCO and in-house models. Over 120 submissions were received during the consultation period, the majority of which were in favour of the option to retain water services in-house. Mayor Lewers said given drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater services all cost ratepayers a significant amount of money that would increase regardless of which approach to water services was taken, it was imperative Council took a long-term view to ensure those services were reliable, sustainable, and future-proofed. 'I acknowledge that while the majority of submitters opposed a change to how water services are delivered, Council's role is to consider community views alongside legal and technical perspectives, and many of the genuine concerns raised have since been addressed by evolving legislative changes,' said Mr Lewers. 'Any potential WSCCO must consult with the community on matters of significance, and proposed changes in the resource management space will require the integration of urban development and infrastructure planning between Council and WSCCO – both of which address potential disadvantages of proceeding with this model,' added Mr Lewers. 'Ultimately, after careful assessment of the two models, public input, the recent legislative changes, and debate on the matter, we can now provide certainty to residents of the Queenstown Lakes District around how their water services will be delivered in the future.' QLDC will now begin to establish a WSCCO under new water legislation. Responsibility for the district's water services, along with ownership of QLDC's water assets and associated debt and liabilities, will be transferred to the WSCCO once established. The WSCCO will be responsible for planning, funding, and delivering water services in accordance with new legislative and regulatory requirements. A Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP) will be prepared and submitted to Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) by Wednesday 3 September, describing the current state of QLDC's water assets and services as well as the future arrangements for delivery of water services.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Government has 'no intention whatsoever' to close NorthTec, Northland MP promises
NorthTec has campuses in Whangārei, Auckland, Kaitāia, Kerikeri and Ngāwhā, near Kaikohe (pictured). Photo: Peter de Graaf Northland MP Grant McCallum says the government has "no intention whatsoever" of closing down the region's polytechnic - despite being listed among institutes facing potential closure or merger as part of the break-up of mega-polytech Te Pūkenga . Revelations last week about NorthTec's uncertain future, as well as a fresh round of course and staff cuts, sparked concerns among tutors, students and industry. The news also drew more than 100 people to a public meeting at the main campus in Whangārei, but McCallum told RNZ closure of NorthTec was not on the cards. "Northland needs vocational training and NorthTec's got an important part to play in that, but it's got to be able to stand up on its own two feet and be credible," he said. "That's our goal. "It's just taking a bit longer, because it's got a chequered past and we've got to work through all that." McCallum said the exact form NorthTec would take was not yet clear, but it would still include satellite campuses in places such as Kaitāia and Kaikohe, which were essential for the widely dispersed Northland region. Northland MP Grant McCallum says he will fight to keep NorthTec open. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf He said Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds understood the importance of regional training facilities such as NorthTec, because of her long association with the Southern Institute of Technology. NorthTec would not say how many courses and jobs were included in the restructuring proposal, saying the final numbers had yet to be determined. However, according to the Tertiary Education Union, courses facing the chop included forestry, primary industries, pest control and apiculture (beekeeping). McCallum said that was an operational decision for NorthTec management. "As a local MP, what I would be expecting is sectors like the primary sector, which is one of our biggest in Northland, will have courses available. We just have to make sure they're the right ones." At the public hui, it was claimed the forestry industry had been blindsided by the proposal to drop forestry courses. McCallum said the government was conscious of those claims and NorthTec would be in touch with the affected sectors. While the final decision was the minister's, McCallum said he would fight to keep NorthTec open. "What it looks like going forward and the courses it offers, that has yet to be determined, because it has to be a sustainable, credible organisation." NorthTec operations lead Derek Slatter said the organisation was currently consulting staff over proposed changes to teaching and support roles. "The number of positions impacted will be dependent on the final decisions made following the full consultation process," he said. "The proposed changes are designed to address issues of financial sustainability and to forge a pathway towards financial viability for NorthTec, enabling us to continue delivering high-quality education and training." Slatter acknowledged staff had been through a prolonged period of change and uncertainty, and that would continue, as NorthTec became financially viable. "However, I am confident that viability is within our reach," he said. Slatter said enrolments for semester two were higher than this time last year and applications for 2026 were also up. Earlier, Minister Penny Simmonds said the government's aim was to build a vocational education system that was "locally led, regionally responsive and financially sustainable, including for Northland". Ten of the institutes merged by the previous government into Te Pūkenga would be returned to standalone, regionally-governed polytechnics. The future of polytechnics in four regions - Northland, Taranaki, Wellington and the West Coast - would be decided in the first half of 2026. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
New look links history, nature, community
Waitaki has a new logo, and so does the Waitaki District Council, after the council approved both for use on Tuesday. The new logos, (one for the WDC as an organisation and one as a district brand) are part of the new branding and strategy developed in-house by the council's communications and engagement team, with input from elected members and staff, and shaped by community feedback gathered through consultations, surveys and the Waitaki Story project. "One of our transformation ambitions is to communicate with and engage our community better in the work we do on their behalf. This is a strategy for all of us — council staff, elected members and our community," chief executive Alex Parmley said. "This is about more than a logo or a plan. It's about how we show up as a council delivering the best for our community — more open, more accessible and more connected to the people we serve. "Now is the right time for this shift. Our district is growing and changing, and so must the way we engage and communicate as a council. Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he was proud of the "thoughtful and collaborative" approach taken to develop the strategy and logo. "The previous council brand has carried us through many significant chapters in our district's story. As Waitaki continues to grow and evolve, it's now time for a refreshed look that better reflects who we are today and where we're heading." The new WDC brand is a stylised version of the previous one, incorporating themes of Whitestone architecture, koru, the region's agricultural links and the deferent threads that "bind our community together", WDC statements say. The district logo is a stylised W. Last year, a proposed brand logo for the Waitaki district was dropped after its similarity to the logo of wool company Woolchemy was noticed. This week, the Oamaru Mail noticed the newly-adopted stylised W logo, had a striking similarity to another river-based entity, London Weekend Television, in particular its 1972 stylised logo (pictured). However, there is little chance of anyone from the UK objecting, LWT dissolved in 2002.
