Three Waters services to be kept in-house

Otago Daily Times

28-05-2025

The Invercargill City Council has accepted a recommendation from one of its committees to establish a council-operated enhanced service for Three Waters delivery.
Infrastructure and projects committee chairman Cr Grant Dermody said the recommendation represented an important step in addressing the future needs of Invercargill.
''How we deliver Three Waters services is a once-in-a-generation decision, and its impacts will span our entire community for many years to come,'' he said in a statement.
The provision of Three Waters services was one of the key issues outlined in tandem with the council's draft annual plan 2025-26.
A council-operated enhanced service was the council's preferred option. It also consulted on two other options: establishing an Invercargill council-controlled organisation, and a Southland-wide council-controlled organisation.
Of the 495 submissions the council received on the draft plan, 188 were about Three Waters. Three-quarters of them agreed with the preferred option.
Consultation was required under central government's Local Water Done Well legislation, introduced to ensure water services nationally are finanically sustainable and effectively managed.
While Invercargill was in a better position than many other local authorities, having regularly maintained its Three Waters network and invested in associated infrastructure, maintaining the status quo was no longer viable, Mr Dermody said.
''Council must draw a line in the sand, to make sure that the future of Three Waters delivery within our community is practical and fit-for-purpose for future generations,'' he said.
''As a council, we believe the most important outcome is to provide an efficient, effective service that is the most practical for our community in the long term. We also strongly believe in local decision-making.''
The council-operated enhanced service represented the second-least costly option for water services delivery for ratepayers to 2034, and in the long term was the lowest-cost option considered, Mr Dermody said.
With this option, the average annual water services rate increase between 2027 and 2034 would be 6.26%, or $150 per household.
All councils are required to submit their water services delivery plan to the Department of Internal Affairs by September.
— APL