Latest news with #Masterton-only
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Decision-Day For Masterton's Water
Masterton councillors will decide on Wednesday whether to progress a Wairarapa-Tararua water service entity, or go it alone. The council was set to deliberate on submissions at 2pm on Wednesday and decide between the two options. If the council voted to progress work on the Wairarapa-Tararua water services delivery model, it would enter into a commitment agreement with the participating councils and develop the Water Services Delivery Plan and foundation principles and documents to be carried forward into the plan. Foundation principles would include: non-standardisation of pricing and debt; share allocation; and decision-making arrangements. If council chose this option, there would be two further opportunities to exit the arrangement and to submit a Water Services Delivery Plan with a Masterton-only water services delivery model to the Department of Internal Affairs. The Wairarapa-Tararua option was recommended by council staff because it 'enables council to work through the uncertainties and concerns of the Wairarapa-Tararua model while still providing council with two opportunities to exit the arrangement'. Alternatively, the council could vote to not progress a Wairarapa Tararua water services delivery model and only progress a Masterton-only water services delivery model. Analysis of the 139 submissions made to Masterton District Council showed the majority (60%) were in favour of the Wairarapa-Tararua proposal. Key themes in the submissions from those who supported the proposal were economies of scale, long-term sustainability, support for increased borrowing capacity. Of those who did not support the proposal, key themes were concerns about price standardisation, affordability, and the desire to have more localised control over water assets and services. A report to council said that while protections against price standardisation could be put in place, standardisation in the future could not be guaranteed. A memo from legal firm Morrison Low was also included in the agenda pack for Wednesday's meeting. It provided advice and guidance to Masterton District Council on the council's desire to 'on establishment, protect Masterton from price standardisation' and 'ensure that there are sufficient protections over key decisions or changes to foundational documents over the longer term that protect Masterton from price standardisation to the extent that is desired'. It said there was 'a path forward' that would provide council with assurance that price differentiation was possible; shareholding could be determined on a basis that reflected Masterton's position relative to the region; and decision making could be structured in a way that promoted regional focus and recognised Masterton's position relative to the region at the current time. It also said protections could be enshrined in the series of foundational documents required to establish and then control and govern the council-controlled organisation. It recommended voting mechanism provisions in both the shareholders agreement and constitution which ensured no single council had positive or negative control but which required 75% of the shareholders to agree to any changes to foundational documents. 'A super majority or similar threshold requires not just Masterton District Council but other councils to agree as well, giving a perception and reality that is more consistent with consensus decision making while preserving Masterton District Council's ability to protect the interests of its ratepayers," the memo said. It recommended commencing with local pricing but having a review point for standardisation. This could be a point in time, such as five years, or an 'identified cost differential', for example, when local prices were within 10% of each other. South Wairarapa District Council has already voted to pursue the Wairarapa-Tararua option. Carterton District Council were set to meet at 9am Thursday to deliberate on submissions and decide a path forward. Tararua District Council would meet on May 28 to deliberate on submissions and would decide on the future of water management at an extraordinary meeting on June 11. -LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
17-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Doubts Remain Over Proposed Joint Water Entity
'If in doubt, opt out now.' This was the advice former Masterton mayor Lyn Patterson gave councillors at this week's Local Water Done Well hearing, held at Waiata House. Although 58% of Masterton submissions were in favour of a Wairarapa-Tararua water services model, some stipulated their support was conditional on there being no standardisation of prices between districts. About 39% supported a Masterton-only enhanced status quo approach, and about 3% did not support either option. Patterson, who was one of several submitters who presented to council on Wednesday, said the council should not have limited people's choices to only two options and was concerned there was no guarantee of non-standardisation once a Wairarapa-Tararua water entity was established. 'Given you have to act in the best interests of present and future Masterton generations, you really don't have a choice,' she said. 'Please err on the side of caution as there is too much at stake. 'Be bold, be courageous, and if in doubt opt out now and support standalone, unless there is a legal watertight guarantee to no standardisation.' Amber Craig, who submitted on behalf of Rangitāne o Wairarapa Incorporated, supported the Masterton-only option and said joining with other councils watered down the voice of whānau, hāpu, marae, and iwi. Meanwhile, Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust, the post-settlement governance entity for Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua, made a submission supporting the Wairarapa-Tararua option. Masterton Ratepayers and Residents Association president Lyn Riley said there was too much uncertainty in choosing the Wairarapa-Tararua option. The group's biggest concerns were financial fairness, lack of detail, and loss of local control, she said. There were 'way too many unanswered questions' about governance, cost-sharing, ringfencing, shareholder agreements, and asset control. 'The devil is always in the detail, or in this case, the lack of detail,' Riley said. Submitter Chris Blunden supported the Wairarapa-Tararua option and said pooling together resources across the districts into one organisation would increase resilience and safeguard resources and staff expertise. Erica Jar from Sustainable Wairarapa said her organisation supported the Wairarapa-Tararua model in principle but had concerns about the level of uncertainty that came with the option. Submitter Robbie Hullena supported the Masterton-only option and said standardisation would be a constant threat for Masterton shareholders. Because of this, and other unknowns, he said a 'safe vote' would be for the Masterton-only option. Submitter Peter Debney said the Wairarapa-Tararua option was the 'only affordable option' but also said he wanted to believe standardisation was 'not a possibility'. Submitter Jamie Falloon said the biggest risk in the Wairarapa-Tararua option was standardisation and that the process that had been prescribed by the government and followed by councils was 'distinctly average'. He was uncomfortable with the council agreeing on an idea, binding ratepayers to it, and then negotiating to 'see what happens'. Masterton councillors would deliberate on all submissions on May 21. The proposal Masterton District Council consulted on was the Wairarapa-Tararua option. Its consultation document said each council would have different investment requirements and costs of service and that there was no requirement for water charges to be standardised across the districts. The proposal's projected costs were based on water charges not being standardised and were an average of $2305 per Masterton connection by Year 10. The council also included information on pricing over time in its consultation document to show what a standardised cost could look like 'compared to the cost under the Proposal without standardised costs'. This standardised price was $3620 per connection by Year 10. – LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
