March 07, 2019
Panel exposes water sales
Auckland Council has been challenged to be more transparent on its policies around selling water.
The council was part of a panel at Hoani Waititi Marae in west Auckland yesterday to discuss issues around water use, protection and allocation.
In response to questions about how other councils handled water consents, council staff confirmed Auckland was still issuing consents to drill for water in the region's aquifers.
Hoani Waititi kaiako Beverly Manahi says despite the rhetoric that no one owns water, the council is acting as if it does in fact own the resource.
"You sell something, you own it. So ownership of water is already in council hands. My iwi, Tainui o Waikato, we are sending water from our wai, our awa tapu for Aucklanders so we are selling water off that we – it is totally diabolical I think," Ms Manahi says.
In a statement, Auckland Council has advised that it charges fees to cover administration costs involved in issuing consents for access to the region’s aquifers. Auckland Council does not sell water or make any money from the consenting process.
People can have their say on the future of water in Tāmaki Makaurau by going to this link: http://bit.ly/2YbI9t9. Submissions close on April 19.
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