Three Waters reform: it’s now time to make a submission

• Take part in Council’s submission to central government
• Come to a 3 Waters public meeting

The Government is now accepting submissions on the Water Services Entities Bill, which is the next stage in the Government’s Three Waters reform programme.

On 27 October 2021, the Government decided to mandate Three Waters reform across New Zealand, meaning councils will transfer responsibility for water services to one of four publicly owned water service entities by July 2024. The new entities will be collectively owned by councils on behalf of communities, meaning the assets will remain in public ownership.

As the submission process is central government led and not Council led, Council will be making a submission once staff have gone through the Bill and provided advice to elected members. This submission will also include feedback from the community.

In order to gather the views of our community, we’ll be asking for feedback through a survey/questionnaire at shape.nelson.govt.nz/three-waters-reform.

Paper copies of the survey will be available at Council’s Customer Service Centre at Civic House and Stoke and Nightingale Libraries.

The timeline from central government is very tight and in order to meet those deadlines, survey responses will be accepted until 4 July so they can be included in Council’s submission to Central Government, which will be considered at a Council Meeting in July. 

The closing date for submissions is 22 July 2022.

Nelsonians can make independent submissions directly to the Government through the Select Committee process by visiting this website: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/53SCFE_SCF_BILL_124081/water-services-entities-bill.

Deputy Mayor Judene Edgar says Council staff and elected members will start a conversation with the community about Council’s response to the Three Waters Bill. 

“Council has engaged fully with the Three Waters reform process so far as we think that is the best way for us to advocate for the Nelson. We have already seen feedback from councils incorporated into the reform, and this is another opportunity for us to ensure this change works for our community.

“The question is not whether the reform is needed, but what shape it should take.”

Acting Chief Executive Alec Louverdis encouraged Nelsonians to take part in the engagement. 

“There are many in the community that feel passionately about Three Waters, and I would encourage them to engage fully with the process. We want our submission to combine the views of elected members alongside the views of our community, and we need a wide range of voices to do that effectively.”

A series of public meetings have been arranged where Nelsonians will be able to talk to councillors and officers about the proposed reforms and Council’s submission. The details of the meetings are:

• Wednesday 29 June 2022 – 2pm – 5pm: in person in the Council Chamber
• Thursday 30 June 2022 – 2pm – 5 pm: in person in the Council Chamber
• Thursday 30 June 2022 – 6 pm – 8 pm: on Zoom

If you wish to speak at the meeting, then you can book a speaking spot directly online through Shape Nelson. 

Alternatively you can call the Customer Service Centre on 03 546 0200, and they can help you through the booking process. Speaking times will be limited to five minutes per individual and 10 minutes per organisation to ensure everyone has a chance to put across their views.