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December 02, 2022
National track record sparked water entrenchment bid
Gideon Porter
Posted On December 2, 2022
Download AudioGreen Party environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage says the last-minute clause she introduced for the Water Services Entities Bill could benefit Māori.
The Prime Minister says parliament’s business committee will look at whether changes need to be made to the clause requiring the support of 60 percent of MPs if any change is made which could allow privatisation of water assets.
Ms Sage says she wants to stop a repeat of the part-privatisation of state owned electricity generators by the previous National Government.
“The public opposed that. Three hundred thousand people opposed it. We got a referendum, – the result of the referendum was 67 percent voted to keep our assets. That National government ignored that. So the Greens wanted to ensure that in this legislation – around Three Waters, because water services are essential to life – that there were strong protections for ongoing public ownership,” she says.
Ms Sage says the Greens strongly support Maori co-governance provisions in the bill, which sets up four regional authorities to manage drinking water, storm water and waste water.
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