Three Waters public shareholding model 'sugarcoating' communities - mayor

Hurunui Mayor Marie Black believes there are zero benefits for her district among the dozens of proposals offered by the Three Waters' working group.

Community leaders in North Canterbury have expressed frustration in response to the Representation, Governance and Accountability group's report, which is set to be reviewed by the Government.

Black said she was disappointed the report did not amount to much significant change and suggested its public shareholding model was an attempt to "sugarcoat" community concerns.

• Working group recommends significant changes 

The committee unveiled a total of 47 recommendations this week, following wide-ranging concerns over the government's controversial proposal to have the management of council-owned three waters infrastructure absorbed by four regional bodies.

The group, largely a mix of several mayors and iwi representatives, was tasked with addressing concerns after Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta confirmed in October the reforms would be mandated.

The minister said she would now consider the suggestions put forward in the report.

A key recommendation by the group was around ownership, claiming a public shareholding model "clarified" who owned water assets.

It proposed the government give councils a shareholding interest in the four water entities based on population, amounting to one share per 50,000 people.

"A major concern we heard from our communities, iwi and hapu was about the privatisation of New Zealand’s water services," group chair Doug Martin said.

Black suggested the group was trying to smooth the waters.

"Perhaps that's sugarcoated some of the initial feeling and tried to acknowledge the ownership through shareholding," she said.

Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon, who serves as deputy chair of the Communities 4 Local Democracy group, renewed calls for pause on proceedings.

"I find it astounding that despite universal negative feedback from the sector, lack of public support, and flaws in the four-entity model, the report from the working group opted to only tinker at the edges," he said.

"Like other mayors across New Zealand, I'm disappointed but not surprised the working group haven’t been able to affect any real change."

Kaikoura Mayor Craig Mackle said the report failed to address wide-ranging concerns and his council would challenge the "flawed and undemocratic path the Government was committed to."

"The working group has had to do a lot of hard work in a very short space of time and to be honest, something like this, with a wider brief, should have been set up from day one," he said.

"They have made some recommendations that tweak the existing proposals, but they were very much hamstrung at addressing wider ranging concerns by the limitations of their terms of reference.

"Whether the minister even listens to these tweaks is another question."

-By Adam Burns