Co-Governance Retained as Select Committee Rearranges the Deck Chairs of Three Waters
November 11, 2022
The co-governance aspect of Three Waters reform has survived the select committee process, which heard more than 88,000 public submissions on the controversial topic.
The Water Services Entities Bill proposed the establishment of four publicly-owned water entities to deliver “more cost-effective, safe and efficient water services”, taking the responsibility away from local councils.
The legislation dictated the entities would be managed by equal numbers of territorial authority representatives and mana whenua, which had drawn extensive criticism.
In a statement from Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta, co-governance wasn’t mentioned directly, but she confirmed the select committee process had prompted a change to the representation of rural councils.