Latest news with #WaterServicesDeliveryPlan
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Council Backs Joint Approach For Water Services
Press Release – Kaipara District Council Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson says collaborating with the other Northland councils is necessary. Kaipara District Council has completed its deliberations on the future delivery model for water services, following community consultation as part of the Government's Local Water Done Well (LWDW) legislation. After reviewing feedback from 66 submitters, including businesses, organisations, and individuals, elected members agreed to pursue a multi-council controlled organisation as its priority model for water and wastewater services. This approach also received the strongest support from the community, with 60% of submissions favouring a collaborative Northland-wide effort to deliver infrastructure, maintenance, and service delivery for waters. Alternative options considered included a shared service contract model with one or more councils, and an in-house business model. Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson says collaborating with the other Northland councils is necessary. 'Reliable water services are important for our communities, so we need to make smart choices that keep them as affordable as possible and running smoothly for the long haul,' said Mayor Jepson. 'We know the cost of delivering water services is going to increase but we need to be in a position where we not only maintain efficient and affordable services but still maintain our community input on how these are managed. Representatives of Kaipara District Council are working alongside elected representatives from other Northland councils through a Local Water Done Well Working Group, with the goal of further investigating collaborative opportunities for water service delivery. Kaipara District Council Chief Executive Jason Marris said the decision today means staff will be working to finalise the Water Services Delivery Plan within the legislative timeframes. 'We're working closely with our Northland counterparts to support the working group in shaping a path forward. The decision today provides a good step to achieve what our community has signalled.'
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Council Backs Joint Approach For Water Services
Kaipara District Council has completed its deliberations on the future delivery model for water services, following community consultation as part of the Government's Local Water Done Well (LWDW) legislation. After reviewing feedback from 66 submitters, including businesses, organisations, and individuals, elected members agreed to pursue a multi-council controlled organisation as its priority model for water and wastewater services. This approach also received the strongest support from the community, with 60% of submissions favouring a collaborative Northland-wide effort to deliver infrastructure, maintenance, and service delivery for waters. Alternative options considered included a shared service contract model with one or more councils, and an in-house business model. Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson says collaborating with the other Northland councils is necessary. "Reliable water services are important for our communities, so we need to make smart choices that keep them as affordable as possible and running smoothly for the long haul," said Mayor Jepson. "We know the cost of delivering water services is going to increase but we need to be in a position where we not only maintain efficient and affordable services but still maintain our community input on how these are managed. Representatives of Kaipara District Council are working alongside elected representatives from other Northland councils through a Local Water Done Well Working Group, with the goal of further investigating collaborative opportunities for water service delivery. Kaipara District Council Chief Executive Jason Marris said the decision today means staff will be working to finalise the Water Services Delivery Plan within the legislative timeframes. 'We're working closely with our Northland counterparts to support the working group in shaping a path forward. The decision today provides a good step to achieve what our community has signalled.' View the council discussion and decision on the (from 1:03:41).
Scoop
5 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Kāpiti Coast Water Services To Stay With District Council
Kāpiti Coast residents will continue to have their water services delivered by the District Council, in keeping with the strong community support for this model shared during the Council's recent consultation. Mayor Janet Holborow said Council felt the benefits of teaming up with other councils to deliver drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services did not stack up for Kāpiti ratepayers and residents at this time. 'Kāpiti has a great track record of strategic investment and excellent management of our water delivery services. This was endorsed by our consultation which showed 94 percent of submitters want us to keep their water services delivery with the council. 'Right now, we don't see any benefits to our community of joining up with other councils who are still facing the need to spend on big-ticket items like water meters and major wastewater treatment plant upgrades,' Mayor Holborow said. Under the Government's Local Water Done Well policy the Council was required to consult on two options: a joint council-owned arrangement with Manawatū, Horowhenua, and Palmerston North councils ('The Four') that would be independently governed, or the current in-house model but with water services delivery ring-fenced from the rest of council operations ('The One'). Manawatū District Council recently voted to continue to deliver their own water services in-house, pulling out of 'The Four'. This reduced the potential financial benefits for Kāpiti joining with Horowhenua and Palmerston North, Mayor Holborow said. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading 'We've looked at financial modelling which shows costs to consumers in the joint four-council model could even out in about 20 years, but that's by no means guaranteed. With Manawatū no longer in the mix, it further reduces the opportunities for economies of scale in the joint model,' she said. 'We also think there's still too much uncertainty about the additional set-up costs or the ability of our council to influence the governance and pricing in a joint model,' Mayor Holborow said. 'It's important to note that today's decision does not preclude us from exploring other water service delivery models in the future but for now we remain focussed on ensuring local priorities are upheld and we meet the Government's requirement to provide a Water Services Delivery Plan to the Department of Internal Affairs by 3 September this year.' Council made its decision at a special meeting today. Mayor Holborow acknowledged the collaboration between the four councils and thanked the community for engaging in the consultation.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Bigger May Be Better: Late Advice Shake-Up Forces Councils To Re-Think Water Reform Plans
Plans for the future of water services in the Whanganui, Rangitīkei and Ruapehu districts are in disarray after late advice from government agencies. The district's three councils have been weighing options for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater reform after identifying and consulting on a joint water services entity as their preferred model. But the eleventh-hour advice is shaking up proposals by smaller councils to continue providing standalone services or with small clusters of neighbours in joint models. In the central districts, councils are scrambling to re-open talks on forming bigger regional collectives. At a meeting on Thursday, Rangitīkei District Council confirmed its preference to establish a multi-council water services council-controlled organisation (WS-CCO) under the Government's Local Water Done Well reforms. The three-council proposal remains on the table, but Rangitīkei unanimously resolved to progress 'newly ignited conversations' with Palmerston North City Council and Horowhenua District Council. The surprise move comes after new guidelines from the Department of Internal Affairs, the Local Government Funding Agency and the Commerce Commission on achieving economy of scale and financial sustainability requirements. Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson said the Rangitīkei, Ruapehu, and Whanganui councils were newly approached in early May about collaborating with the Palmerston North and Horowhenua councils to form a larger entity. A key element of the new guidance was that a WS-CCO servicing 50,000 connections would achieve the greatest cost efficiencies for bill payers. 'The understanding that 50,000 connections would unlock greater savings for all those involved has absolutely contributed to other councils re-entering discussions about a wider model,' Watson said. A three-council entity with Rangitīkei, Ruapehu and Whanganui councils would service about 31,000 connections. Rangitīkei consulted with residents in March on three models for the future of water services delivery: • A multi-CCO with Whanganui and Ruapehu district councils (the preferred model). • Keeping the status quo – in-house delivery. • A multi-CCO with as many councils in the Manawatū-Whanganui region as possible. At the time, the third option was not viable because other councils had indicated they preferred alternative models. Following the latest advice, talks have re-opened on a wider regional approach. Rangitīkei was now awaiting the decisions of its potential partners, Watson said. Staff would finalise the Water Services Delivery Plan by September 3. 'We will inform Rangitīkei residents as soon as the final grouping of councils is clear,' Watson said. 'This is one of the biggest decisions councils will make for their communities in decades.' A decision in Whanganui was deferred on Tuesday to an extraordinary council meeting in early July. Mayor Andrew Tripe said four viable delivery options remained on the table: a multi-CCO with Ruapehu and Rangitīkei, a Whanganui District Council CCO, a multi-CCO with as many councils as possible, and an in-house business unit. Most community feedback showed residents felt Whanganui had invested well in its water assets and did not want to 'cross-subsidise' other councils. 'However, we are looking at a joint council proposal which could include a non-harmonised model, ring-fencing costs for each council but giving the benefits of scale – otherwise known as Local Pricing.' The council was continuing to back a three-council model as the best level of scale to achieve cost benefits, but Tripe said the possibility of achieving 'greater scale' would be investigated. Under Local Pricing, residents within each district would be charged on the same basis as currently, but any savings were shared. 'All three councils' customers in this case benefit from these savings, while paying costs that relate only to the delivery of services in their district. So customers pay less than they would have if councils were to go on their own.' The cost benefits could be around $18,000 per Whanganui connection over 30 years, or $588 a year. 'Local Pricing may also offer further savings to Whanganui if there is a greater scale, something which requires further investigation." Tripe said councils took their preferred options to consultation before the new guidelines were received. 'It is pertinent that we consider them now, as considerations such as public liability and ring-fencing of assets, even with an in-house model, do come at a cost. 'The adoption of a water services delivery plan for our district is one of the most significant changes to local government in decades,' Tripe said. 'It is vital that we do not rush this process.' On Wednesday, Ruapehu district councillors decided to ditch a standalone option in favour of the three-council CCO and investigating a wider regional entity to reach the 50,000-connection threshold. The decision brings potential collaboration with Waikato back to the table. The Ruapehu council will engage with its community on the new information and options available. No new preferred option will be offered. The council will meet on 25 June to make a final decision.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Ashburton Going Alone On Water The ‘Best Option Today'
Keeping water services in-house is the right option for right now, according to one Ashburton councillor. The council adopted a stand-alone business unit as the delivery model for its Water Services Delivery Plan for the future delivery of water services in the Ashburton District at its meeting on Wednesday [May 21]. Councillor Russell Ellis said it was a simple decision as the model had the majority backing of the public submissions. 'Today, the stand-alone business unit is the best option for our council, listening to what our ratepayers had to say. 'As more understanding evolves over the next two or three years of the implications of that for us and central government, we may see other changes forced upon us. 'Financial sustainability is about the running of that business unit, it's not about the cost of water for the ratepayer. His fear of the council going alone is 'the final cost of water to our users'. 'Today I support this because it's what our ratepayers want, but in five or six years' time do I think it will be the same – probably not.' A letter from a Local Government Minister Simon Watts delivered before the council meeting on Wednesday didn't sway the council's direction. Ellis said the Local Water Done Well letter suggested a standalone business unit wasn't the direction the Government had intended for the three waters reforms. Mayor Neil Brown agreed, adding the letter suggested 'there is an ability to move to a something else in the future, if the council decided'. 'Our preference, at the moment, is a standalone business unit,' Brown said. Chief executive Hamish Riach said he had contacted another chief executive at a council pursuing a multi-council CCO that received a similar letter and felt the Minister's letter was more focused on 'meeting the obligations of the reform'. 'Financial sustainability, the best interest of the community and water supplies going forward, rather than being a particular message for those opting for a standalone business unit.' 'Having now seen another council with a very similar letter, with a different option, I think the minister is more urging everyone to understand the magnitude of the decision.' The councillors unanimously voted for the stand-alone business unit model. Democracy and engagement group manager Toni Durham said the council's 'pivotal decision' allows staff to move forward with completing the water services delivery plan to submit to the Department of Internal Affairs by September 3.
