SDC votes unanimously to keep water services in-house
Southlanders have made their voices heard on how they want the district council to deal with its water assets. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
A southern council has opted to keep its water services in-house following strong community feedback.
Southland district councillors yesterday voted unanimously to run with an "adjusted status quo model" for Three Waters services which allows it to retain responsibility while meeting new requirements.
It comes at a time when councils all over the country are responding to government reform on how they want to deliver drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.
More than 97% of Southland respondents preferred an adjusted status quo option instead of a standalone council-controlled organisation (CCO).
Reasons for the overwhelming vote included local control, accountability, affordability, cost efficiency and a feeling of "reform fatigue".
If the council had opted to go down the CCO route, estimated costs of $750,000 would have been required for setup in addition to about $625,000 a year for operating.
Mayor Rob Scott attended several meetings during consultation.
"It was really good engagement everywhere we went, even with the smaller numbers," he said.
The adjusted status quo model will form part of the council's water services delivery plan, as required under legislation.
That plan needs to show how the council will be compliant in delivering a satisfactory and financially sustainable service by mid-2028, and must be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) by September 3.
The council was also involved in a DIA case study looking at how new standards would impact rural councils.
Results from the study were received yesterday, but the staff report had already been prepared for the meeting.
Community consultation in Southland ran from April 3 to May 21.
In May, the Invercargill City Council also voted to keep its delivery in-house.
Consultation has just ended on a proposal in which Gore would join forces with Clutha, Central Otago and Waitaki.
• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
SDC votes unanimously to keep water services in-house
Southlanders have made their voices heard on how they want the district council to deal with its water assets. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A southern council has opted to keep its water services in-house following strong community feedback. Southland district councillors yesterday voted unanimously to run with an "adjusted status quo model" for Three Waters services which allows it to retain responsibility while meeting new requirements. It comes at a time when councils all over the country are responding to government reform on how they want to deliver drinking water, wastewater and stormwater. More than 97% of Southland respondents preferred an adjusted status quo option instead of a standalone council-controlled organisation (CCO). Reasons for the overwhelming vote included local control, accountability, affordability, cost efficiency and a feeling of "reform fatigue". If the council had opted to go down the CCO route, estimated costs of $750,000 would have been required for setup in addition to about $625,000 a year for operating. Mayor Rob Scott attended several meetings during consultation. "It was really good engagement everywhere we went, even with the smaller numbers," he said. The adjusted status quo model will form part of the council's water services delivery plan, as required under legislation. That plan needs to show how the council will be compliant in delivering a satisfactory and financially sustainable service by mid-2028, and must be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) by September 3. The council was also involved in a DIA case study looking at how new standards would impact rural councils. Results from the study were received yesterday, but the staff report had already been prepared for the meeting. Community consultation in Southland ran from April 3 to May 21. In May, the Invercargill City Council also voted to keep its delivery in-house. Consultation has just ended on a proposal in which Gore would join forces with Clutha, Central Otago and Waitaki. • LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Marlborough Residents Speak Against Council's Preferred Water Plan
Residents have spoken against the Marlborough District Council's preferred water services model at a Local Water Done Well hearing on Monday. The Government requires councils to choose from five water service delivery options a modified status quo (an in-house council department), a single council-controlled organisation, a multi-council-controlled organisation, and two types of trusts. The Marlborough District Council's preferred option is to create a standalone Water Services Organisation owned and controlled by the council. The council said it would find greater efficiencies to deliver better service at a lower cost, and have more borrowing capacity to maintain and improve the region's water infrastructure. But Marlborough residents aren't convinced. Of about 45 submissions made, 58 percent wanted to keep water services in-house, compared to 13 percent who preferred the standalone organisation. The remainder did not indicate a preference. Five people spoke on their submissions at a hearing in the council chamber on Monday, and they were all opposed to a standalone organisation. Brendan Kearney, who used to be chief financial officer of a council-controlled organisation in Canterbury, said there was no proof that a separate organisation would be more efficient, and setting up and funding a separate entity could cost ratepayers more. It would "inevitably duplicate some overhead costs", Kearney said. He said he saw no reason for water services to be removed from a council that had maintained its water systems relatively well. "[Water] assets are in good or very good condition. That's a credit to the current council and past councils as well. Council also has low debt relative to its peers. "This is compelling evidence, in my view, that the council has performed well and will continue to do so." To create a separate organisation, Kearney said the council would need to appoint directors, manage a new relationship with the organisation, and manage the organisation's own agenda. "A standalone company is no guarantee of good governance." Kearney said there also needed to be balance in who footed the water infrastructure bill between the ratepayers of today and of tomorrow. "It's unfair to gift hundreds of millions of dollars ... to the next generations completely debt free. That means the past generations paid too much. "On the other hand, it's unfair to get those assets, billions of dollars of assets, fully debt funded ... it's unfair on future generations. "Something in between those two extremes needs to happen." Submitter Lauchy Hynd said that creating a separate organisation to take on debt outside the council books was not sustainable. "What happens when we default?" Hynd said. "We're leveraging [water assets] by three to five times to borrow money against them. "This looks to me like Three Waters from the back door. "You can kick the can down the road and borrow recklessly, but I appeal to you to act boldly on behalf of the people." Submitters also voiced concerns about allowing an unelected and "unaccountable" organisation to take control of water services. "How do we maintain the ownership and the status of [water] assets in the hands of the people of Marlborough, when we're divesting them to an unelected group?" Hynd said. Submitter Bob Watson said he was worried about the potential to more easily privatise a separate organisation, pointing how the United Kingdom's water management became privatised. Ten regional water authorities were formed in 1974, which the UK government then sold to the private sector in 1989. "I think that the potential for private ownership ... basically our water utilities to be sold off to another entity, and for us to lose the democratic voice, would be terrible," Watson said. "I like the idea that [we're] here with people that have represented the community who can speak for us." The coalition Government had previously said that privatisation of water services was not on the table. The council would make its final decision on water services delivery on June 26, and submit its plan to the Government for approval by 3 September . LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- RNZ News
Christopher Luxon demands answers as press secretary Michael Forbes resigns
The Prime Minister is demanding answers from multiple agencies about the Beehive's vetting and disclosure processes for staff following the resignation of his deputy chief press secretary . Michael Forbes quit on Wednesday , and has apologised after accusations he recorded audio of sessions with sex workers, had intrusive photos of women in public, and footage of women shot through windows at night. Christopher Luxon says the incidents, that were investigated by police but didn't lead to any charges, occurred after he was vetted to work for Social Development Minister Louise Upston. "He has an obligation to actually declare those issues or those incidents to us, that didn't happen which is why his employment would have been terminated obviously. "But there is a good question about making sure, and I have asked specifically for DIA (The Department of Internal Affairs) to look at vetting processes," Luxon said in a media conference at Parliament on Thursday morning. Luxon said DIA had kicked off a "deep-dive into seeing what further actions are needed to actually strengthen our processes." He also has questions about whether the investigation should have been elevated by police to the Beehive. 'We have to take this incident and understand what has happened here and how it happened, and what more can we do about it. "I think it's a legitimate question to say what can we look at between the inter-agency processes, between the different agencies, whether it's police, whether it's the SIS or whether it's ministerial services." Luxon says his sympathy is with the RELATED] women who raised the allegations], and he was shocked by the news. "I have zero tolerance for any behaviour that makes women or anyone feel unsafe, and this individual's conduct fell unacceptably short of the standards I expect from our people. "And that's why you've seen us move within 24 hours of these allegations being put to us, this person is no longer employed in the Beehive," he said. The Prime Minister is also open to looking at privacy laws after a call for a law change by the madam of the brothel at the centre of the accusations against Forbes. More to come... Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
