April 07, 2022
Māori bring long view to water debate
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says Māori are bringing a much-needed inter-generational perspective to the conversation about the Three Waters Reform.
A lot of the backlash on the proposal is about the co-governance model that will be applied to the four regional entities which will run drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. Still, Ms Mahuta says the underlying reason is councils don’t want to lose control of assets they failed to keep fit for purpose.
She says ratepayers want clean drinking water and a clean environment, and that’s what they’ll get if a Māori perspective is heeded.
“It’s very much about ensuring that we are looking after water, whether we drink it, use it for economic purposes, for irrigation, for land development, for our regional growth opportunities, and then how it goes back into our environment so everyone benefits if we have the right conversation,” Ms Mahuta say.
Under the Three Waters model, councils will still own water assets, but control will be through four-publicly owned entities.
National has launched an online petition claiming it’s government theft of local assets, while ACT wants the co-governance model dropped.
The Māori Party wants Māori ownership of water recognised, while the Greens want to slow down the reforms for more consultation, which has seen massive uninvestment over the past two decades.