The water service delivery plans have been submitted by local councils and evaluated, and the total is set to hit over $47 billion.
Councils handed over these proposals as part of the Government's Local Water Done Well scheme and the Local Government Minister is hopeful these plans will go on to benefit ratepayers.
Minister Simon Watts says these proposals have all been signed off and things are in a good place to get going.
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Episode Transcript
First though, the bills in for all that water infrastructure
that we need to build so desperately, and it's nine
billion dollars more expensive than previously thought. Councils have now
all submitted their local water Done Well plans to the government.
They're expected to spend forty eight billion dollars on water.
Simon Watt, says the local Government Minister and joins me tonight,
Good evening.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Minister Earning Ryan Seasons Gruden.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Season's greetings, So what's happening with this The extra nine
billion than we thought? Is that because something has changed
or is the estimated cost change?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
No, it's basically the councils have done a review and
a forecast of what they believe they need to spend
over the next decade, and that is up on where
they before had their plans.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Only got to be clear this is what they believe
they need.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Then you've got to work out what their capacity is
to actually undertake the work and what they can spend
and invest. But the highlight is we've got an infrastructure deficit.
We all know that we need to get more money
going into pipes in the infrastructure, and we've now got
entities that can deliver that change and over the next
decade that means more jobs for kiwis.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
So this is what they believe they will need. Can
they afford it?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
They can based on the assessment that the independent regulated
the Commerce Commission have done.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
That process is now complete.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
They reviewed all sixty eight of councils and with the
exception of one which has got a facilitator in place,
the rest have been signed off. So we're in a
really good spot. And you know that's pretty good within
in effect, twelve months from when the legislation got passed.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Is it cheaper them under what three waters would have
cost us?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Well, Ryan, I mean, as you know, that's a hypothetical
because those guys got voted out and they never put
that policy into practice. We are of the view, compared
to the status quo, this is going.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
To be a better deal for rate payers.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
And why I say that is because you know, we've
got financially sustainable entities who are going to be undertaking
this infrastructure investment. It's a big pot of money, right,
No one's arguing about that, and I think we do
need to acknowledge the capacity of the system, but I
think what we need is consistent and stable investment over decades,
not that lumpiness. And you know that's something that we're
(02:12):
now set up to deliver.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Okay, so they can afford to do it. I mean's
a hell of a lot of money they can afford
to do it. That's been signed off. We're given them
the tick tick for that. When will people actually start
to see their pipes or not actually more to the point,
not see their pipes?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Well, that work's already started.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
And if you're living in Auckland, for example, water care,
we're first out of the gates and are undertaking that work.
You know, at pace there's a lot of build up
of capability. We need more water engineers, we need more
people in that neck of the woods.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
And that's good as well in terms of capability.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
But this work has already started and you're really going
to see the industry build up to what I would
expect peak delivery over the next two to three years.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Two to three years. So like you know, Wellington, we
see those strays every second week of pipes bursting and
water going all over the street and stuff. When will
that not happen?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well RN, you know, that's a challenging one because there's
a lot of pipes in Wellington. But what I can
be clear about is now they've got a stable entity
to deliver that infrastructure. It's been reviewed by the ComCom.
So we're getting out of the planning and these guys
can start doing the doing. And I think that's what
rate payers have been calling for. They want this stuff
to get on and be done. But you've got to
acknowledge when you build infrastructure, you've got to do that
(03:30):
over a long period of time, in consistent program to
do that. So that's underway now and that's going to
be good for our communities.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
How were you in the House today? Apparently it was
all getting but instead of that end of year rightist
thing seems to be seems to be coming into play
in the house. What was it like there tonight.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, it's pretty pretty jovial and everyone's fired up. I
mean I'm in the chair too when Parliament goes to
midnight tonight, and I've got my bills going through all stages,
so I'll be don't worrying when you were awake at
midnight doing whatever you do you can think of me,
I'll be still sitting in the chair in Parliament doing
the good work.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
For the public I'm doing on this drive show at
the moment, so I'm happily. I will be happily sleeping
tonight Simon, while you're working, which would be a nice chair.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I might give you a shout out at midnight.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
There you go, Okay, all right, hey, appreciate your time.
That Simon Watt's local government minister. It is twenty one
minutes away from seven News.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Talk Ryan Bridge.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
We'll get to get into Brady who's our UK correspondent, and.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Just for more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Listen live to News Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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