Careful consideration needed for 3 Waters reforms

Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks said he was very concerned about the impost the Government’s 3 Waters reforms would place on his community over the next 20 to 30 years to upgrade the District’s infrastructure to the required standard.

“I will be interested to learn what the benefits will be for our residents by sharing the cost with the rest of the South Island.”

Mr Hicks said, based on the information supplied, the Gore District was looking at spending over $300 million to get its drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure up to standard.

“Now we have some figures in front of us, the Council needs to carefully consider the options for our community.”

Information released publicly today shows the current average household in the Gore District pays $1,340 a year for 3Waters services. Under the reforms this figure would rise to $1,640 in 2051. Without reform the cost to ratepayers would be $6,770, according to Government figures.

“On the face of it, opting into the reforms looks attractive. However, we need to be confident about the reliability of the forecasted costs.”

Mr Hicks said the Council was also keen to get more information about what the delivery of services would look like under the centralised management structure.