John MacDonald: Are councils really the best outfits to be in charge of the water?

We are going to pay more for water services. But even though it's coming about because of government policy, I’m not blaming Wellington. I’m blaming our councils. 

Councils that should be ashamed of how they ran down our water infrastructure to the extent that millions of litres of water disappear every day because of cruddy pipes. 

And the consequence of that neglect and incompetence is going to hit us in the pocket. 

Two examples. In Christchurch, household water bills are expected to increase by $900 a year. In Selwyn, the yearly increase in water charges could be as high as $1800 a year. 

Local Government Minister Simon Watts is saying the Government’s Local Water Done Well policy, which is the alternative to Labour’s doomed 3 Waters policy, is "the best approach” to sorting out our water infrastructure. 

But I wonder if you’re starting to realise that Labour’s approach wasn’t so bad after all? 

Under that model, control of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater would have been taken away from local councils and handed over to new water authorities. 

It would’ve taken away ownership of water infrastructure, too. 

I’m more than happy to put my hand up and say, at the time, it was the ownership bit that got me going.   

Back then, I thought the then-Labour Government was offering peanuts to take over ownership of water infrastructure.  

But I am more than happy to put my hand up now and say that wasn’t the big deal I once thought it was, and I think we would have all been better off under Labour’s model. Because not only are we going to be paying more for our water, but there are also going to be a truckload more water entities than there would have been.   

Under 3 Waters, there would have been 10 entities. Now, it’s already looking like we’ll have more than 40 water service providers involving different councils.  

So more bureaucracy and more costs, all in the name of local ownership and control.  

All in the name of local ownership and control by local councils which, because of their neglect of the water infrastructure year-after-year, are going to be hitting us with big increases in water charges. Local councils who have failed us.  

If councils had done what they should have done and not kicked the infrastructure spending can down the road time and time again, then maybe we wouldn’t be feeling so fleeced. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from NEWSTALKSB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
When was the last time you heard the Prime Minister
say he was fighting for the squeezed middle as in
the squeezed middle class I suppose, for want of a
better term, you know, people who aren't aren't poor, but
who are finding it more and more difficult to make
ends meet and feeling poor as a result of that.

(00:32):
Christoph Luxon he talked about the squeezed in the middle
all the time before getting into government, but he's gone
pretty silent on it, probably because he's the one doing
the squeezing now, especially when you consider how much more
we are going to pay for water services. I'll give
you some numbers in a second. They might be news
to you. Take a seat if you can, but let

(00:56):
me be clear from the outset that I'm not blaming
the government for this. I'm blaming our councils. Councils that
should be ashamed of how they ran down our water
infrastructure to the extent that millions of leaders of water
disappears every day because of cruddy pipes. That's another number,

(01:18):
but we'll get to that, and the consequence of that
neglect and in competence is going to hit us in
the pocket. How about this In christ Church, household water
bills are expected to increase by nine hundred dollars a year,
which isn't the worst of it as far as Canterbury

(01:38):
is concerned. And Selwyn the yearly increase in water charges
it's been forecast to be as high as eighteen one
hundred dollars a year. And I see that Local Government
Minister Simon Watts are saying that the government's local Water
Done Well policy is quote the best approach to sorting

(02:00):
out our water infrastructure. Local Water done Well, by the ways,
the alternative to lay was Doomed three Waters policy. But
I wonder, I wonder if you're starting to realize that
Labour's approach wasn't so bad after all, because under that
model control of drinking water, waste water and store water
would have been taken away from those hopeless councils and

(02:23):
handed over to new water authorities. Would have taken away
ownership of the water infrastructure as well. And look, I'm
more than happy to put my hand up and say
to you that at the time it was the ownership
bit that got me going Back then, I thought that
the then Labor government was offering christ Church, for example,
peanuts to take over ownership of the city's water infrastructure.

(02:45):
But I'm more than happy to put my hand up
now and say, actually, that wasn't the big deal I
thought it was at the time, And I think we
would all be better off under a model which didn't
have the councils running water infrastructure, because not only are
we going to be paying more for our water, they're

(03:05):
also going to be truckload more water entities than there
would have been.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
How about this.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Under the old three Waters, there would have been ten
outfits running water around the country. Now it's already looking
like we'd have more than forty water service providers made
up by different councils. And the consequence of that is
that's more bureaucracy, more costs, all in the name of
local ownership and control, All in the name of local

(03:31):
ownership and controlled by local councils who, because of their
neglect of the water infrastructure year after year after year,
are going to be hitting us with big increases in
water charges. Local councils who have failed us. I see
there's a comment through already from Brett high Bred. You
say water is a basic necessity that shouldn't be used

(03:54):
to fleece rank payers. The thing is, Brett, water infrastructure
has to be paid for somehow, or more to the point,
getting our water infrastructure up to scratch has to be
paid for. And if our counsels had done and this
is not Christ just Christchurch, christ Church Slwyn, why make
it early, the whole damn lot of them. If our
counsels had done what they should have done and not

(04:16):
kicked the infrastructure spending can down the road time and
time and time again, then maybe people like Brett and
you and I wouldn't be feeling so fleeced.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
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