Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo says Northlanders stand to lose their voice in the new top-of-New Zealand water services entity the Government is pushing to put in place for Northland and Auckland by July next year.

His comments – made in his personal capacity – come as Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty introduces new legislation into Parliament for its first reading to cover April Government changes to national Three Waters restructuring, started by former Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta in October 2021.

McAnulty said Northland and Auckland will together become New Zealand’s first inter-regional Three Waters water services entity – Entity A – from July 2024, under Government plans.

Entity A was initially shaped under the Water Services Entities Act in December last year. The top-of-New Zealand Entity A combines WDC, Far North District Council (FNDC), Kaipara District Council (KDC) and Auckland Councils’ drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services.

McAnulty began potential changes to the act this month via the new Water Services Entities Amendment Bill now being considered in Parliament. Northlanders can have their say on this in public submissions which close on July 5.

The amended plan combines 78 councils’ drinking water, wastewater and stormwater into 10 water entities – up from four initially.

McAnulty said in Parliament Entity A’s first-up establishment would provide a useful model for New Zealand’s nine other entities, offering learning opportunities for continuous improvement as they were established.

McAnulty wrote to Whangārei District Council (WDC) on June 16 advising of the transfer of council water services to the new entity in July next year.

Cocurullo said he was making Three Waters comments in his personal rather than mayoral capacity, as there had been no time for the council to get together and decide on its position about the latest development.

Cocurullo said Northland’s voice risked being lost in a water services entity where council shareholdings were on the basis of population. Entity A ‘s population was dominated by Auckland’s 1.7 million people, in contrast to Northland’s population of 210,000, spread out over more than 12,000 square kilometres.

He said in Whangārei’s case, the future of more than $1.4 billion of inter-generationally ratepayer-funded Three Waters assets was at stake.

Cocurullo said Northlanders with drinking water, wastewater or stormwater concerns would need to deal with the new Entity A from July next year, if the restructure proceeded.

Current unknowns included where the entity’s head office would be and whether there would be a Northland satellite office if Auckland was chosen as its base.

Entity A is being set up by a national transition unit at the Government’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A unit spokesperson said each council in Northland would be represented on the regional representative group (RRG), providing them with a voice.

The spokesperson did not specify where an Entity A head office, or regional satellite office might be, saying that was a matter for Entity A’s establishment board.

Cocurullo said there was no information on some of the practicalities for the community in terms of who would be billing Northlanders for their water use under the new regime and how this would happen.

“Who’s going to put out the rates bill?,” he asked.

Northland and Auckland for a start used different rating systems.

He said Whangārei ratepayers paid separately for drinking water, but paid for wastewater and stormwater rating as part of general rates. In contrast, Aucklanders paid separately for drinking water and stormwater.

Cocurullo said he had understood the Three Waters entity development would not be proceeding until after the coming general election in October.

He said the Government had however still pushed ahead and as a result had turned Three Waters into an election issue.

The Entity A community’s voice will be part of the new organisation via a regional representative group (RRG), made up of equal numbers of council and iwi/Māori representatives.

The RRG approves the entity’s strategic direction, with no role in its day-to-day governance or running. It also appoints a professional board to govern Entity A.

A seven-member group headed by Tukuroirangi Morgan (Tainui) and named Waipuna aa rangi was launched in January as the entity’s iwi regional representative group – representing the interests of 45 hapū and iwi across the entity and including Auckland’s (Tamaki Makaurau)’s 19 recognised mana whenua entities. Its membership includes Northland iwi leaders Haami Piripi (Te Rarawa), Kevin Prime (Ngāti Hine), Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards (Ngātiwai), Anahera Morehu (Ngāti Whātua), Mook Hohnock (Ngāti Manuhiri) and Te Warena Taua (Te Kāwerau ā Maki).

Morgan said Waipuna aa rangi welcomed Entity A being New Zealand’s first.

“Our people have a right to safe, reliable and resilient water infrastructure. Getting on with the job of setting up these entities is the first step in delivering that right,” Morgan said.

“As the mana whenua representatives on Entity A’s regional representative group, we look forward to progressing this mahi in partnership with council representatives,” he said.

■ Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air