Communities 4 Local Democracy – Three Waters

Published on November 01, 2022

As Councils around New Zealand work to understand the scale of three waters changes and plan for transition, many are questioning whether the proposed reform is doing enough to consider the communities that they have long served.

Mayor of Horowhenua District Council, Bernie Wanden has joined the call for a rethink on the path forward for Three Waters Reform.  

“There is no denying that some form of change is needed, our current way of working is not fit for purpose nor sustainable, but the future of three waters and the associated reform programme is causing widespread confusion and division across communities.”

“The growth facing communities like Horowhenua, coupled with regulatory pressure and the need to think differently about how we respond to Climate Change, means we need to step up and be prepared for three waters to be delivered in a different way.  Three waters change needs to be in step with our community though, and right now we have a reform programme that has simply got out of step.”

“My commitment, together with the Elected Members of Horowhenua District Council, is to work in good faith with the government on behalf of our community to ensure that Three Waters Reform delivers infrastructure outcomes that maintain community voice, ownership and accountability.”