Tim Dower: If Hipkins thinks rebranding Three Waters will win us over, then he thinks we're stupid

If Chris Hipkins thinks rebranding Three Waters by calling it "Affordable Water Reforms" is going to win us all over, then he obviously thinks we're stupid.

At the end of the day, the only serious change I can see here is switching from four monstrous and unwieldy administrations to 10 monstrous and unwieldy administrations.

We're told this means every council gets a seat at the table. But despite the Prime Minister's insistence co-governance is long gone from Three Waters, it's not.

Māori will still have unelected representation on these 'regional representative groups', with their job being to exercise and offer "strategic oversight and direction".

However, they try to spin it, these changes are still a theft of ratepayer assets.

Millions down the drain already on a broken plan which still doesn't have proper buy-in, because it's still burdened by this unwelcome and undemocratic co-governance element.

How many times Chippy? Read the room.

No one's arguing with the basic facts that drinking water isn't up to scratch in some communities.

Wastewater and stormwater are probably much bigger problems, especially given that they're getting mixed together all too often.

We're told we need to spend $180 billion to bring things into the 21st century. That's around $35,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.

Does the Government really think New Zealanders can't work out that if this money isn't coming from their rates, it's coming from somewhere else?

That somewhere else is taxes. There is no magic money tap. If it's being funded by central Government, it's being funded by debt. Debt you and I will have to pay back.

And what about rural people who manage their own water collection and pay to have the septic emptied every now and then?

Well, there's a bonus for you - you get to subsidise the cities through your taxes.

To be fair to Hipkins, he inherited a sow's ear in Three Waters. Fat chance of making a silk purse from that.

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