The Taxpayer’s Union is still waiting for Local Government Minister, Kieran McAnulty, to respond to the invitation to meet and discuss improvements to the Government’s controversial Three Waters programme.

The Minister agreed to meet with concerned mayors last month but has not responded to the Union’s request for ratepayers to be a part of the conversation.

Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Callum Purves, says:

“We reached out to the Minister last month in the hope that he would be more willing than his predecessor to engage with those most concerned about the reforms, yet all we have heard is radio silence.

“If the Minister is serious about building broad support for water reform, he needs to meet with New Zealand’s largest taxpayer and ratepayer organisation to discuss how we can achieve affordable, high-quality, locally-controlled, and democratically-accountable infrastructure.

“The Minister needs to look at the incentives facing local councils and the financing mechanisms available to them rather than impose overly-bureaucratic governance solutions from the top down that are more about being seen to be doing something than actually addressing the underlying issues."

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