The Chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill and Amendment Paper 41. This bill aims to establish preliminary arrangements for local government water services delivery.

About the bill:

The bill is the second of three bills related to waters services that the Government intends to pass. Its provisions largely fall into three broad categories:

• First, the bill would require territorial authorities to submit water services delivery plans. The plans would set out councils’ current water services arrangements, and a strategy for delivering financially sustainable water services and meeting regulatory standards. The information on the current state of water services will lay the foundation for information disclosure as part of a future comprehensive economic regulation regime.
• Second, the bill would create alternative consultation and decision-making requirements that territorial authorities can choose to use when establishing, joining, or amending a water services council-controlled organisation. Territorial authorities would have the flexibility to choose the alternative requirements instead of the existing processes in the Local Government Act 2002.
• Third, the bill would also enable Auckland Council to implement its preferred model for water services delivery.

The Finance and Expenditure Committee has been asked to consider Amendment Paper 41 alongside the bill. The Amendment Paper provides that, when making wastewater environmental performance standards, Taumata Arowai must not have regard to the hierarchy of obligations contained in Te Mana o te Wai.

Tell the Finance and Expenditure Committee what you think:

Make a submission on the bill and the amendment paper by 11.59pm on Thursday, 13 June 2024.

For more details:

• Read the full content of the bill
• Read the full content of the amendment paper
• Watch what has been said in Parliament about the bill
• Read about the intended process for water services legislation
   

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