Local government continues to organise behind the scenes. Last week’s talk by the deputy mayor to the Tuesday Club was another example of how locals are thinking about new ways of delivering water. One issue which will assist the 3 Waters campaign is that the poll numbers are drawing the political parties’ numbers closer together. They aren’t quite at that stage yet, but if the National party gets its act together and starts organising itself properly the government will be looking to ditch unpopular policies it has publicly announced. 3 Waters must be close to the head of the list.
In a nationwide poll which was announced recently the support for 3 Waters reform was 29.3% of the poll. That is hopeless. Consider the millions which have been spent on dribbly advertising attempting to con NZ’ers into believing things are in a dreadful state. Well, they didn’t work. The government would have been better to have spent those sorts of funds working with local government and coming up with an equitable system which kept the assets locally owned.
In Stuff yesterday this headline appeared. This will be one of many which keep appearing as more and more writers realise just what the government is about.
Here’s a paragraph from that article:
In a strange contradiction, councils have been promised they will retain ownership of their water assets and services, through the four new entities, and local communities will retain influence over how the assets are run through the councils. The reality is that with only four new entities, one covering most of the South Island and Stewart Island, taking over the role of 67 district councils, the voices of small rural communities in particular will never be heard.
Here’s a photo of a man who got frozen out of the debate in parliament when he challenged the 3 Waters model:
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