Mike Pettit
Forming a multi council-controlled organisation for water services is the first step to creating a unitary authority in the Waikato.
That’s the view of Waipā District Council Cambridge Ward member Mike Pettit (pictured right) who shared his views in a November 20 workshop on a council-controlled authority Heads of Agreement document being drawn up for the Waikato Mayoral Forum.
Waipā District Council agreed, on Tuesday, to enter into the Heads of Agreement relating to Waikato Water Done Well with other councils in the region.
Ōtorohanga, Waitomo, Taupō, South Waikato, Matamata Piako, Hauraki and Thames-Coromandel district councils are exploring co-designing an asset-owning council-controlled organisation to manage water and wastewater.
*Hamilton City Council is creating its own council-controlled organisation while Waikato District Council will decide on December 13.
“This is the start of one region, one council, one mayor, here we go” Pettit said in the workshop. “Just putting it out there. This is the seed.”
The Waikato Chamber of Commerce has been among organisations to debate the creation of a unitary authority to save ratepayers’ money.
Pettit told The News “it’s a discussion that I think is worth having”.
“It’s not a here and now thing. This whole council-controlled organisation discussion needs to happen first. After that’s done, sometime at the end of next year, it would be good if we can get together and start a discussion on the benefits, or otherwise, of a unitary authority.”
Ōtorohanga mayor Max Baxter told The News “no decisions have been made yet, but it probably will head towards a Waikato council-controlled organisation”.
Kāhu Manawa managing director Vaughan Payne, who provides management services to local government, is leading Water Done Well on behalf of the Waikato Mayoral Forum and local iwi chairs.
“There are some challenges, but also so many really significant opportunities,” Payne said of council collaboration. “This is a piece of work that is pretty central to this region. It’s not easy to make waters work. It just makes sense to have local ownership.”
The organisation would be governed by a board with delegated authority with input from a shareholders’ forum. Non tradeable shares would be apportioned by the number of connections.
- The online version differs slightly from the print version. Waikato District Council does not make its decision until December 13.
