Three Waters repeal inches closer, Govt to implement new structure by 2025

Monday, 12 February 2024

The previous Labour Government’s Three Waters legislation is less than two weeks away from being repealed, with the new National Government looking to implement their own legislation - ‘Local Water Done Well’.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has promised that the Three Waters legislation will be gone by February 23, with his Government’s new plan starting to roll out in mid 2024.

Three Waters, focusing on drinking, storm and waste water, intended to set up four publicly-owned water entities designed to provide safe, reliable, and efficient water services.

Under the legislation these water organisations would have taken over providing these services from territorial authorities, such as city councils and district councils.

Brown said the repeal would restore continued local council ownership and control of water services, and responsibility for service delivery.

The plan, he said, would be to then pass two bills as part of the Local Water Done Well plan.

“The first bill will be passed by the middle of 2024 and will set out provisions relating to council service delivery plans and transitional economic regulation.

“A second bill to provide for the long-term replacement regime will be introduced in December 2024 and passed by the middle of 2025.”

The new legislation would recognise the importance of local decision making and community flexibility, he said.

In the last few months of the previous Government, Three Waters was re-branded to “affordable water infrastructure improvements“ by then PM Chris Hipkins, after the term become ‘somewhat confused’.

Council’s around the country were facing water crisis’s at the start of 2024, with Wellington dealing with over 3,300 leaking pipes.