HB councils welcome Government support for 3 Waters review

The five councils of Hawke’s Bay welcome today’s announcement of Government funding to progress the region-wide review of three waters service delivery.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council, Hastings District Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Napier City Council and Wairoa District Council are working together to review the current and potential three waters (drinking, waste and storm) service delivery options for the region. The project aligns with the region’s strategic priority for the 2019-22 triennium – water safety, security and planning - agreed by the Hawke’s Bay Leaders Forum on 25th November 2019.

Since Councils approved the review in February 2019, the first phase has involved defining key principles and objectives, an assessment of the current state of three waters service delivery in Hawke’s Bay and preliminary analysis of potential options.

The need for investment into three waters infrastructure across Hawke’s Bay is a significant challenge and we need to be able to meet the requirements of any future changes to regulation. This review means we can fully evaluate the scale of capital, capacity, capability and operational challenges in front of us and identify the opportunities for us to work together to determine the best solution for the entire region. 

Today’s announcement of funding from Government will now enable:

• detailed analysis of the potential service delivery options including the flow-on impacts on each council;
• assessment of regional three waters infrastructure;
• assessment of potential service delivery options in anticipation of any future changes to regulation.

The first phase of the review is expected to conclude in September 2020 with delivery of a report to Councils for consideration. Further scheduled phases of the review are dependent on the approval of Councils and the Government to proceed, with completion anticipated within the second half of 2021.

Today’s funding announcement is a strong endorsement from Government of the decision of Hawke’s Bay’s five councils to collaborate on this regionally significant piece of work and the robust approach we are taking. Our regional approach provides Government and other Councils around the country with a guide for tackling the challenge of ensuring three waters services that are safe, sustainable and affordable. 

It is important to get this process right for Hawke’s Bay. We all share responsibility for ensuring our communities enjoy safe and reliable, resilient and efficient drinking, waste and storm water services.

27 January 2020

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