The Government has to commit to financial support for councils grappling with changes to freshwater management, the Dunedin City Council says.
Councillors voted to add an amendment to the council's submission on the Essential Freshwater proposals at Wednesday's full council meeting.
The submission was broadly supportive of the raft of Government proposals aimed at improving water quality.
But it did want comprehensive analysis of the social and cultural costs and benefits of the proposals, and for timeframes to be adjusted to allow for consideration of issues raised through that process.
It also noted the proposal could present significant funding challenges for councils.
Cr Andrew Whiley proposed an amendment to the submission, seeking a commitment from the Government that it would support funding projects to produce upgrades required by the changes.
He said it was one thing for the Government to propose legislation, "but somebody's got to pay for it".
"They can have the greatest legislation in the world, that's going to cost our ratepayers a very large sum of money.
"I would like to see Government come to the table in partnership, or some other form, in funding, to ensure their decision-making actually is able to be carried out."
Cr Jim O'Malley said the proposals could have a "significant economic impact on the city".
He was confident the council was "way ahead of other territorial authorities in Otago", but he wanted the proposals to become part of the council's planning processes as it made renewals in the future.
Cr David Benson-Pope said nobody should be surprised the issue was on the table.
"For some decades people have been talking in this community, and in wider New Zealand, of the need to change our approach, to the discharge of stormwater in particular, to our waterways."
There would be implications, but the council would have to "face up to them".
"I don't doubt that we are much better performers than most other territorial authorities, but we have significant issues about contaminants, particularly from the road running untreated and unmanaged into our waterways, and it's time we got our act together.
"We should be grateful, too, for the Government making us lift our game."
The amendment and submission both passed unanimously.
