All New Zealand municipalities will receive at least $350,000 additional funding to ensure they have the necessary resources to implement the Three Waters reforms, Deputy Minister for Local Government Kieran McAnulty announced today.The Government has set aside a fund of 44 million dollars to help municipalities defray the costs and resources necessary to start up the new Three Waters system.
“These reforms are about providing clean and safe drinking water at an affordable price for New Zealanders. Over time, they will provide significant cost savings for councils and taxpayers, but we recognize that additional resources are needed in the short term to get the new system up and running,’ said McAnulty.
“Since becoming Deputy Minister for Local Government, I have met with rural and provincial councils, and one thing I have heard constantly is that councils face a significant demand on their staff time and resources, and this fund is Create to help them.
The Three Waters overhaul is the biggest change local governments have faced in a long time, and it’s creating extra work for councils already under pressure from staff shortages, winter sickness and COVID.
This funding will allow local authorities to draw on expertise to support councils during the Three Waters transition period, and continue business as usual.
“These reforms are about providing clean and safe drinking water at an affordable price for New Zealanders”
Each city council, regardless of size, will receive $350,000 over 12 months, with top-ups allocated under the “Better Off” funding method.
This funding is an acknowledgment of the short-term challenges councils face in achieving long-term benefits for their communities.
Although we always knew that the transition would have a cost, this cost is much less than the bill of 185,000 million dollars that taxpayers will have to pay to maintain and improve infrastructure in the next 30 years.
Without the reform, a household would face water costs of up to $9,000 a year, or the possibility that services may not meet their needs.
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“This transition funding comes on top of the Government’s broader support for the Three Waters Reform package, which includes $2 billion of ‘Better Off’ funding to help councils carry out wellness initiatives in their communities, such as parks, gardens and swimming pools.
In the last two weeks McAnulty has met with 21 rural and provincial councils and the concern for resources has been constant.
“I still have 34 councils to meet and will seek their input on how best to support councils as a government, and how to target future transition funding support,” said the New Zealand minister.
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