March Engagement Report 

Tēnā koutou katoa,  

You are receiving this email as a member of the Department of Internal Affairs distribution lists of those interested in the Three Waters Reform Programme. 

The joint Central and Local Government Steering Committee wishes to thank all those councillors, council staff, hapū/iwi/Māori representatives and industry experts who attended the Three Waters Reform Programme and Department of Internal Affairs workshops during March this year. This was a considerable investment of your time and we would like to assure you that your contributions have been valuable to the reform policy process. 

The Steering Committee has been working since mid-2020 to provide oversight and guidance on three waters services delivery and infrastructure reform, and to ensure the perspectives and interests of diverse New Zealand communities are considered.

Read more about the Steering Committee. 

The reform programme presents a number of opportunities, not least to set us on a path towards safe, affordable and sustainable water services for decades to come. In parallel, the Future for Local Government Review will enable a fundamental assessment of what we might want Local Government to look like over the next 30 years or so. It will also enable consideration of how iwi/Māori perspectives, including Te Mana o te Wai, can be better accommodated in our water services arrangements.  

However, we do acknowledge that there are a number of questions and anxieties that come with such a major reform programme, particularly in the context of other reforms underway, including the Resource Management reforms. While we are unable to answer all of these questions at this stage, we are committed to an ongoing discussion with you on these as our partners in this reform.  

The March series of workshops presented the most up-to-date options and analysis for the Government’s reform proposals. This is part of an evolving discussion, including engagements held over the course of 2020 and the previous three years under the Three Waters Review.  

Discussions at the workshops provided meaningful insights into the local and national challenges facing the provision of three waters services and the proposed options for reform. Feedback has informed, and will continue to inform and refine, policy advice to decision makers in mid-2021 and beyond.  

We acknowledge that elected members are extremely busy and we have therefore attached a high-level slide pack providing context for the workshops, summarising the key themes of feedback received and pointing to next steps.

Read the full report.

Prompted by questions during the workshops, the Department is also updating a set of FAQs to sit alongside these documents on our webpage.  

We said that we would provide analysis and implications for councils of remaining in or opting out of the reforms as soon as possible. The Steering Committee is working to ensure you have access to this information as promptly as possible. Some parts of this work will be subject to and dependent upon Cabinet decisions.  

Ngā mihi, 

Three Waters Steering Committee 
Email: 3WatersSteeringGroup@dia.govt.nz