Councils oppose New Zealand water reform

摘要

New Zealand's government is looking to face down opposition from local councils after it revealed the details of its Three Waters sector reform programme earlier this month. In an announcement on 1st July, the government outlined a new structure to be introduced in July 2024. Four publicly owned regional entities will cover the entire country (see map, below right), and will be run by professional boards selected and monitored by local authorities. New Zealand's national reform programme, launched in July 2020, aims to completely restructure water services for wastewater, stormwater and drinking water, the majority of which are currently delivered by 67 different local authorities. These have frequently struggled to raise funds for much-needed infrastructure investment.