South Island mayors are in support of Ngi Tahu co-governing a new water entity.
The iwi has been discussing co-governance options with the Government as a safeguard against any attempts by future governments to privatise water assets.
The Government is working on proposals to hand over responsibility for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater to new mega-regional entities.
National Party leader Judith Collins claimed on Sunday the Government planned to transfer all South Island water infrastructure to a new entity half-owned by Ngi Tahu.
READ MORE:* RMA and water reforms: ‘Crunch time’ for Mori for critical reforms* Ngi Tahu accuses National leader of ‘seeking headlines’ over water reform comments* No Mori ward for Christchurch City Council * Ngi Tahu takes Crown to court for ‘rangatiratanga’ of its waterways
The iwi strongly denied her claims, saying it did not want to own three waters infrastructure. It wanted a co-governance role instead.
Dr Te Maire Tau, chairman of Ngi Tahu freshwater group Te Kura Taka Pini, says water infrastructure should remain in public ownership.
Dr Te Maire Tau, chairman of Ngi Tahu freshwater group Te Kura Taka Pini, said water infrastructure must remain in public ownership and its presence provided an extra protection against it being privatised in the future.
Collins said the co-ownership structure was the Governments preferred option and was presented to 23 mayors and iwi last week, but mayors talked to on Monday said they had not seen any mention of the Government wanting Ngi Tahu to partly own the entity.
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said councils across the South Island and Ngi Tahu had been working together on the water reforms and would continue to do so.
Dunedin mayor Aaron Hawkins says it is disappointing complicated water reforms have been sucked into the vortex of dog whistle politics.
She had not seen anything that would suggest Ngi Tahu ownership.
Governance does not mean ownership.
The Government is expected to announce detailed reform proposals mid-year and councils have until the end of the year to make decisions about whether to opt out. The Government has said it would not be compulsory for councils to join the new entities.
Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel says governance does not mean ownership.
Dalziel said the Christchurch City Council had not adopted a position on the water reform because it had yet to see the proposals or consult with the public, but she personally supported the concept of co-governance.
Dunedin mayor Aaron Hawkins said he did not see why consideration would not be given to mana whenua involvement in the governance of assets as critical as water infrastructure.
Now fluoridation of water is in the hands of the Director General of Health, the polarising issue is back in the news, and debate may be coming to an end.
This appears to have been conflated with ownership of the assets, which is unhelpful, because that’s a very different conversation.
Were waiting to see how the legislation will give effect to the Governments promise that all assets will remain in public hands.
Hawkins said he had not seen or heard anything that validated Collins claims around co-ownership, nor any indication from Ngi Tahu that they were even interested in pursuing that.
It’s disappointing that what is already a complex set of reforms has been sucked into the vortex of dog-whistle politics. I’m more interested in building stronger relationships with iwi than I am indulging this separatist fantasy.
Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton said the South Island councils and Ngi Tahu had been working together to understand what areas of common ground they share regarding the three waters programme.
We all agree that we all want safe, sustainable and affordable water and that iwi and local government should play a part in that.