Latest news with #Cocurullo
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Northland's biggest water services changes kick off in Whangārei
Whangārei's strength in provision of drinking water via plants such as this one at Whau Valley stands out regionally, where Kaipara and Far North face challenges for similar servicing. Photo: LDR / SUPPLIED Whangārei could end up subsidising Kaipara and Far North water users in a move described as historic for Northland. Whangārei District Council voted on July 24 to set up a Northland-wide council controlled organisation (CCO) as part of the Government's Local Water Done Well change requirements. Photo: The decision was a major milestone starting the ball rolling on massive changes to how drinking water and wastewater services are structured and delivered in the region. Council-owned assets - and debt- which provide drinking water and wastewater to about 100,000 WDC, Kaipara District Council (KDC) and Far North District Council (FNDC) consumers would be shifted into the CCO starting from July 2027. WDC councillors voted unanimously for the proposed regional CCO - based on major work by the three councils in recent weeks. That's in spite of the council being in a relatively strong water services position, in contrast to Kaipara and the Far North. A memorandum of understanding created by the three councils must still get the formal okay from KDC which will vote on it at its meeting in Mangawhai on Wednesday, and FNDC at its council meeting the following day. Whangārei Mayor and Northland water services working group chair Vince Cocurullo said the move toward a regional CCO for drinking water and wastewater was historic. "This is huge," Cocurullo said. He said initial principles were proposed for the regional CCO, including ring-fencing each council's drinking and wastewater financials . There would initially be no cross-subsidisation of water charges across the three council areas. The CCO would review those two things within three years from start-up. The mahi that led up to Friday's decision involved the three district councils working closely together. The inter-council working group of local politicians has met several times over the last month. Crown-appointed advisor David Hawkins was also part of the group. Hawkins, a former Papakura Mayor, was involved in putting Auckland's Watercare together. The group looked at what was best for Northland, rather than solely a district-by-district basis. WDC councillor and working group member Ken Couper said the regional proposal was a "cool mix" and "the elegant solution". Northland councils must submit a regional water services delivery plan to the government by September 3 under its Local Water Done Well goals. The plan would include seeking Government funding for critical Northland water services projects. But yesterday's decision allows for FNDC not to play ball in the region-wide CCO. The resulting scenario would then be a two-council - WDC and KDC - CCO. WDC council meeting agenda papers said this alternate two-council plan would help address Kaipara's water delivery challenges without adversely impacting Whangārei. The papers said under Local Water Done Well, WDC could continue to deliver water services through an in-house business unit. There were greater challenges for Kaipara particularly around growth, and in the Far North around compliance, delivery and affordability. The papers said a regional CCO was the most effective way of delivering safe, affordable and sustainable waters services for Northland. It balanced regional collaboration with local accountability and provided a platform for long-term resilience and improvement. Whangārei's cash reserves provided "early funding flexibility". The spike in capital spending would initially be driven by FNDC. KDC would follow and WDC after that. Cocurullo said the regional CCO proposal provided councils with off-ramps. He said the CCO acknowledged that Whangarei's water services position was stronger than that of the KDC and FNDC. WDC Infrastructure chair Cr Simon Reid said the move was a crucial step forward for the North. "Potable water and wastewater are the two most critical areas we need to focus on," Reid said. The new regional CCO proposal would allow for more borrowing than councils are able to do. It could borrow up to a 500 percent debt ceiling, contrasting with individual councils' 280 percent. Outside of Whangārei, Northland's water services delivery challenges include ageing infrastructure and compliance issues, particularly in the Far North, the need for significant investment to support population growth and renewing existing infrastructure and the high cost of capital spending needed in smaller communities. The new proposal would see a shareholder council set up with two representatives from each council with at least one of those being an elected councillor. Stormwater provision will stay with individual councils and not be part of the regional CCO under the proposal - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
1News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- 1News
Māori All Blacks v Scotland brings sporting buzz to Whangārei
Excitement is building and accommodation is packed in Whangārei today ahead of the city's biggest sporting fixture in three years. The gates at Semenoff Stadium open at 12.30pm with kick-off in the Māori All Blacks versus Scotland clash due at 3.35pm. The double-header gets underway at 1.05pm when the Black Ferns take on the Black Ferns XV. It's the first time in 25 years the Māori All Blacks and Scotland have met in Whangārei. It's also the city's biggest game since New Zealand met Scotland in pool play of the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup, which was held in October 2022 due to the Covid pandemic. ADVERTISEMENT Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said more than 9000 tickets had been sold as of Friday, with the final number expected to top 10,000. He said the grandstand had sold out but there was still room on the embankments. "The clash of these two nations, it hasn't happened in Whangārei for 25 years. It's going to be an epic day," he said. The influx of visitors would also mean a "huge" economic boost for the city, in mid-winter when it was most needed. "Let's put this way, I don't think there's a spare bedroom available in any of the hotels." Cocurullo said excitement about the match was heightened by the Whangārei District's strong Māori and Scottish heritage. Large numbers of Scots settled at Whangārei Heads and in Waipū in the mid-19th century, travelling from their homeland via the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. ADVERTISEMENT Cocurullo was also excited about the Black Ferns versus Black Ferns XV opener, which he said would help decide who ended up playing for New Zealand in upcoming international matches. Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leah McKerrow said the city was already buzzing on Friday, and she had spotted many supporters on the streets clad in traditional Scottish kilts. "The more we can encourage sports, entertainment and arts events into our region, the better for our economy ... anything like this is an opportunity for small businesses to pick up the extra volume of people that are around," she said. Whangārei hotels and motels RNZ spoke to on Friday were booked out and were still fielding phone calls from out-of-towners hoping to stay for the weekend. The Settlers Hotel, on Hatea Drive near the city centre, had been fully booked by the Scottish team. Pubs and cafes were also girding themselves for a big weekend. Rob Lang, of the Judge House of Ale on Walton Street, said his establishment had embraced the game by bringing in a Scottish-themed menu and decorating the bar with Scottish paraphernalia. ADVERTISEMENT He had brought in extra staff to deal with the expected game-night crowd. Special menu items included mince and tatties (stewed mince with mashed potato) and "stovies" (a dish made with potatoes, onions, roast meat and beef dripping) as well as some New Zealand favourites such as ika mata (raw fish salad) and snapper burgers with frybread. Lang was hopeful of hosting the Scots at some point, after the team's selectors dropped in on Thursday night to check out the premises.
Scoop
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Northland Councils Explore Collaborative Opportunities For Water Service Delivery
Press Release – Whangarei District Council The Coalition Governments Local Water Done Well programme has been established to address Aotearoas long-standing water infrastructure challenges. Northland's District Councils have each heard feedback from their communities on the future of water services delivery, and established a cross-Council working group to work through what collaboration across Councils could look like. The Coalition Government's 'Local Water Done Well' programme has been established to address Aotearoa's long-standing water infrastructure challenges. It empowers Councils to decide how they will deliver water services, while meeting increased regulations, supporting growth and being financially sustainable. It encourages Councils to work with neighbouring districts on solutions that could benefit the larger region. Mayor of Whangārei and Chair of the newly established 'Northland Water Services Working Group', Vince Cocurullo said, 'Each Council has now completed formal consultation with the community where options were proposed for how drinking, waste and storm water services should be delivered in the future.' Consultations indicated that in Whangārei there was a clear preference for keeping its water services in-house with increased collaboration with the other Northland Councils, while Kaipara's results were in favour of a Northland Council Controlled Organisation (CCO), and Far North showed preference for a strengthened in-house model with improvements to delivery, governance, compliance and financial management. 'While options and preferences in each district vary, all of us are committed to getting around the table and evaluating the opportunities of working together and solving some of the challenges we all experience,' said Mayor Cocurullo. The Northland Water Services Working Group is made up of elected members from each Council, supported by their staff. Representatives from the Department of Internal Affairs and an independent advisor will attend each meeting, and the working group will make recommendations to each Council for decision making later this year. 'Whangārei, Kaipara and Far North District Councils have been working together to model the financials for a Northland CCO so that option could be included for consultation,' said Mayor Cocurullo. 'All three District Councils are committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability, efficiency and regulatory compliance of water services in Northland. With the community's feedback, we are able to do further investigations on collaborative opportunities, such as the viability of shared or managed services, or a Northland CCO.' Each District Council is required to submit their water service delivery plan to Central Government before 3 September 2025. More information about Local Water Done Well and the results of each Council's consultation can be found below. Notes
Scoop
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Northland Councils Explore Collaborative Opportunities For Water Service Delivery
Northland's District Councils have each heard feedback from their communities on the future of water services delivery, and established a cross-Council working group to work through what collaboration across Councils could look like. The Coalition Government's 'Local Water Done Well' programme has been established to address Aotearoa's long-standing water infrastructure challenges. It empowers Councils to decide how they will deliver water services, while meeting increased regulations, supporting growth and being financially sustainable. It encourages Councils to work with neighbouring districts on solutions that could benefit the larger region. Mayor of Whangārei and Chair of the newly established 'Northland Water Services Working Group', Vince Cocurullo said, 'Each Council has now completed formal consultation with the community where options were proposed for how drinking, waste and storm water services should be delivered in the future.' Consultations indicated that in Whangārei there was a clear preference for keeping its water services in-house with increased collaboration with the other Northland Councils, while Kaipara's results were in favour of a Northland Council Controlled Organisation (CCO), and Far North showed preference for a strengthened in-house model with improvements to delivery, governance, compliance and financial management. 'While options and preferences in each district vary, all of us are committed to getting around the table and evaluating the opportunities of working together and solving some of the challenges we all experience,' said Mayor Cocurullo. The Northland Water Services Working Group is made up of elected members from each Council, supported by their staff. Representatives from the Department of Internal Affairs and an independent advisor will attend each meeting, and the working group will make recommendations to each Council for decision making later this year. 'Whangārei, Kaipara and Far North District Councils have been working together to model the financials for a Northland CCO so that option could be included for consultation,' said Mayor Cocurullo. 'All three District Councils are committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability, efficiency and regulatory compliance of water services in Northland. With the community's feedback, we are able to do further investigations on collaborative opportunities, such as the viability of shared or managed services, or a Northland CCO.' Each District Council is required to submit their water service delivery plan to Central Government before 3 September 2025. More information about Local Water Done Well and the results of each Council's consultation can be found below. Whangarei District Council: Kaipara District Council: Far North District Council: Notes
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Budget 2025: Rates rebates, business tax changes will add up, Whangārei Mayor says
'The big thing is that they haven't cut anything. The hospital is still on the cards and investment into the roads is not being cut.' Cocurullo said improvements to the rates rebate scheme will make a big difference in Northland. The threshold change means every SuperGold cardholder with NZ Superannuation as their only income and rates higher than $2000 will be eligible for the full rebate. The maximum rebate will also increase from $790 to $805 a year. Whangārei has very high numbers of people applying for the rates rebate each year, including people living in retirement villages who own their own units, Cocurullo said. 'We have a huge amount of rates rebates – it's nice to have a little bit more for some of those who need it.' The Investment Boost tax package will be relevant to lots of small businesses around Northland, Cocurullo said. The $1.7b-a-year package will allow businesses to deduct 20% of the cost of new asset – such as machinery, vehicles and technology – on top of depreciation, meaning a lower tax bill in the year of purchase. This will encourage business investment and help productivity in Northland – where businesses tend to run on the smell of an oily rag, he said. However, NorthChamber chief executive Leah McKerrow was more muted about the Investment Boost, saying it was unlikely to make much difference in the short term. 'It assumes that people will be able to afford to purchase new assets in the first place. It will be great if companies can afford to invest but do they have the capital?' Another concern was the changes to KiwiSaver, she said. The Government is halving its yearly contribution from $521 to $260.72. However, the default rate of employee and matching employer contributions will rise from 3% to 4% of salary and wages, phased in over three years. McKerrow was concerned about how businesses will pay for this increase, as they have no extra funds, and could look to pay for it by employing people on a lower wage. Overall, she thought the Budget was restrained and unlikely to lead to much growth in the short term. However, that meant the Budget would not add to inflation, helping to keep interest rates down, which would be good for business, she said. Advertisement Advertise with NZME. Liz Cassidy-Canning, chief executive of charity Whare Āwhina, was more forthright in her opinion of the Budget, calling it disappointing. 'Our most vulnerable are invisible in it,' she said. Cassidy-Canning was pleased $15 million was included in the Budget to fund community-based food banks, like Whakaora Kai Food Rescue Northland, for another year. But she said the need in Northland is high and families in need are still missing out. Changes to Working for Families – in which eligible families will get an extra $14 a fortnight – will not even cover the rising cost of living, she said. Changes to pay equity claims – which were revealed to save the Government $12.8b – will have an impact on low-paid women workers, Cassidy-Canning said. 'Pay equity does make a huge difference nationwide. We can see it was a cost-cutting exercise, there's no other way to see it.' Cassidy-Canning said she would have liked to see more funding for community organisations, which are able to prove the positive impact they have for the community's most vulnerable people. 'Community organisations are working really hard, we need the Government to recognise that. Come and measure our impact.' She was also disappointed more funding has been set aside for boot camps for young serious offenders, despite a trial where two of the 10 young people absconded. Cassidy-Canning said everyone will have to wait and see to understand the impact of a new Social Investment Fund, which is allocated funding of $190m. Another area where Northlanders will have to wait and see is over more funding for the 2023 weather events. A further $219m funding was announced to repair local roads, with a focus on councils in the eastern North Island. However, Cocurullo said it is still possible Northland councils could be eligible for more funding too. Whangārei alone has some $20m of recovery work still to be done, he said. Do you have questions about the Budget? Ask our experts – business editor at large Liam Dann, senior political correspondent Audrey Young and Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny – in a Herald Premium online Q&A here at at 9.30am, Friday, May 23.
