Latest news with #TeAwaTupua
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Ruapehu, Whanganui Councils Sign Off Joint Water Plan
Ruapehu and Whanganui District Councils have adopted a joint plan for managing drinking water, stormwater and wastewater services in the two districts under a new two-council delivery model. The Two-Council Water Services Delivery Plan, adopted by each council this week, will be submitted to central government by the 3 September deadline as part of the Local Water Done Well reforms. If approved, a jointly owned Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (WS-CCO) could be established by mid-2026 and fully operational by mid-2027. The WS-CCO will take over water service delivery in both districts. The plan follows the councils' decisions in July to form a two-council WS-CCO, intended to keep decision-making over water services and assets local while meeting national requirements to improve water quality and address infrastructure investment shortfalls. Ruapehu District Council chief executive Clive Manley said the plan provides a roadmap for delivering high-quality water services in the two districts. 'Council officers will now work together to deliver on our implementation plan to create a WS-CCO that will deliver the best outcomes for our community with affordability at the forefront of our considerations,' he said. Ruapehu District Council also agreed this week to transfer urban stormwater assets outside road corridors to the new entity once it is established. Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford acknowledged the work behind the plan. 'I want to thank staff of both councils who have worked tirelessly under tight timeframes to prepare this plan. At the same time, thanks to our operational teams, who continue to deliver high-quality water services across both districts every day,' he said. Once the plan is approved by Government, an establishment team will be appointed and a vision and values agreed for the new entity, embedding a Te Awa Tupua approach.
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Mayor's water services affordability plea rejected by Ruapehu District Council
Ruapehu was among the most economically disadvantaged districts in New Zealand, with many households 'already stretched to breaking point by the cost-of-living crisis'. 'All of this term we've acknowledged this reality, especially for Māori communities. Yet today, some are still prepared to back the most expensive option on the table, a position I cannot understand.' Kirton said the two-council model would almost double the Department of Internal Affairs' (DIA) affordability benchmark that water costs should not exceed 2.5% of median household income. He also cited new information since the original July 9 decision, including a requirement from the Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai to bring forward costly wastewater treatment upgrades previously delayed for affordability reasons. The Whanganui council had rejected price harmonisation, which would have shared costs evenly across both councils. 'There is nothing in the two-council arrangement for Ruapehu except ability to increase our debt headroom to borrow more for upgrades our people cannot afford.' In the public forum, Ngāti Hāua Iwi Trust spokesman Kuru Ketu said the council's role was to make decisions about water services and infrastructure, not water itself. Making a decision on the basis of 'keeping the catchment together' was 'statutory overreach'. 'The relationship and union of the catchment is whakapapa-based and now protected and provided for by Te Awa Tupua legislation. The catchment will remain together regardless of Local Water Done Well arrangements.' Ketu said 70% of Māori in northern Taumarunui ranked among the most deprived in the country. If people could not pay their bills, the council controlled organisation (CCO) could not function. The trust backed a larger multi-council entity for its greater borrowing capacity, cheaper debt and stronger buying power. Deana Wilson, representing Ngāti Rangi, supported the two-council decision, highlighting iwi connection to waterways and the link between water health and community wellbeing. She said collaboration was key to finding solutions to the region's wastewater treatment challenges. Ratepayer Marama Laurensen urged councillors to focus on practical realities such as cost and community impact rather than personal or emotive views about the river. 'I don't expect councillors to be carrying that particular responsibility. People elect you to deliver service to the community, not to use this table as a platform for your point of view or your feelings.' Laurensen said affordability was critical in a deprived community. Without it, 'you don't have the luxury of having wellbeing', she said. Kirton said the decision came down to a moral and financial duty. 'Do we protect our people from costs they can't afford, or do we lock them into a model that will take money they simply don't have?' Councillors Brenda Ralph and Janelle Hinch backed Kirton's position. Ralph warned higher charges would hit tenants, homeowners and businesses alike, forcing some residents to move away. Hinch said expert advice showed larger multi-council models were the most cost-effective, and warned the two-council option could be unviable for Ruapehu and risk being overturned. River protections were enshrined in legislation, and whakapapa to the rivers would not be severed, she said. Continuing with the two-council model would cause unnecessary hardship. Councillor Robyn Gram originally voted to join a larger model but on Wednesday withdrew her support. Deputy Mayor Viv Hoeta stood by her original vote for the two-council CCO. She said she valued the democratic decision already made and the partnership agreed to by both councils. The case for affordability was based on assumptions rather than facts, she said. Councillor Lyn Neeson said she struggled to see how $1000 extra would be imposed on ratepayers. 'I'm deeply concerned that the conversation over the past fortnight has put serious fear into our ratepayers that it is going to be unaffordable to live in Ruapehu.' Neeson said all councils' water rates would rise. 'The water improvements have to be made. They were unaffordable, that's the reason they weren't made. Now we have to make them.' A higher borrowing cap, cheaper debt and more buying power were not exclusive to the larger multi-council model, she said. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
15-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Construction of Wharf 3 at Whanganui Port to begin
Photo: Supplied Construction is set to begin this month on the urgent renewal of Wharf 3 at Whanganui Port. Replacement of the wharf is a significant milestone for Te Pūwaha - the $87.35 million Whanganui Port revitalisation project. The work was scheduled to be complete in April 2026, and includes the demolition the existing Wharf 3, a complete rebuild and stabilisation of the riverbank protect the long-term health and wellbeing of the Whanganui River. Disruption to recreational boat operators was expected with the Wharf Street boat ramp being closed from time to time to accommodate cranes working on the water's edge. Te Pūwaha project director Hayden Turoa said the deterioration of Wharf 3 and the land behind it had lead to ongoing erosion which had accelerated during the construction of the new mobile boat hoist lifting bay and hardstand area at the end of Tod Street. Left unaddressed, the erosion posed a growing risk of long-buried industrial contaminants entering the awa, he said. Turoa said in alignment with Tupua te Kawa - the intrinsic values of the Whanganui River as Te Awa Tupua, a living and indivisible whole - project partners had prioritised the restoration and stabilisation of this critical section of the port, under ongoing leadership and guidance of hapū. "As a project group, our commitment is to honour Tupua te Kawa in every decision we make. "The urgent works at Wharf 3 are not just about infrastructure, they are also about upholding our shared responsibility to the awa and ensuring the whenua and wai are protected for future generations." The works would include the demolition of the existing Wharf 3 structure, followed by installation of new sheet piling and a rock revetment to secure the riverbank. A new reinforced concrete wharf structure would then be constructed to support future port operations. Whanganui Port general manager said a plan was being put together to prevent disruption to boaties. "We are working with Coastguard Whanganui and the Whanganui Manawatū Sea Fishing Club to communicate updates. Plus we will have staff onsite to speak directly with boat operators and provide guidance." Turoa said Te Pūwaha was a community-led initiative to revitalise the Whanganui Port and surrounding area, and as the first project to operate under the Te Awa Tupua framework, hapū had a leadership role and were working alongside the community and project partners: Whanganui District Council, Whanganui Port, Horizons Regional Council, Q-West Boat Builders, the Port Employment Precinct and central government. This approach would ensure a more successful, integrated and mindful approach to conducting the necessary work, he said. "The completion of Te Pūwaha will create a platform for unlocking further investment in the port and Whanganui. "We will see a modern marine precinct and community asset for the next 50 years, one in which Whanganui is retaining and creating high value jobs in the marine, engineering and coastal freight sector." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
