Major water management reform could take responsibility for drinking water from councils

Maori and iwi should have no more say with regards to water rights than anyone else living in NZ.

Here we go, yet another gravy train about to be put into place

Nania Mahuta needs to be reminded that many of us already pay twice for our water supplies . Once for water infrastructure and again for the actual water we use through water meters .This is meddling in something which does not concern her or Maori.

It was the Govt. that took over with Ecan. in Christchurch and look at the mess they done of that. I agree with Ripcord66 not Iwi or Maori nor the Govt., it should be controlled if there is going to be a control set, by the people for the people ( an elected group for each area) so it is deemed fair.

Make no mistake that this will end in privatization or iwi-ization one way or another. Water is physical not cultural or spiritual.

This is madness.Overseas experience is that prices go up, quality goes down, executives salaries go through the roof and most of the profits go to overseas shareholders.This is a grab for an essential commodity with no interest in the end user who is also a ratepayer and taxpayer and will now pay a grossly inflated bill for water.

This sounds dangerous to the ratepayers.discussion with iwi and Maori seems to get to the discussion over who owns the water. Local bodies and the Government have been loath to allow anyone to take up rights for sale of water from areas on the West Coast for example - a logical area to take water from due to the rainfall - as there would be a number of legal challenges.As has been commented this will add extra costs to all who live in a house, owners and renters.

Thats what Mahuta is aiming for, maori control of NZs water, our water.

Why talk with iwi and Maori? Where is a perspective from non-iwi and non-Maori? It will be just a matter of time before the government find some way to make a dollar from this publicly owned resource.

Leave our water supplies alone. This government has done enough damage already.

Labour get ready for protest, lack of party support, if Mahuta tries to push this through for agenda.Wont get my vote,next time,nor will NzFirst or anyone associated with your party.

Keep central government out of water control, its up to local government, next thing central government will start tax on it , plus water is a requirement for living creatures, no one ppls have any rights over it .

Is this 1984 Labour again?

Another, Mahuta hair brain scheme, or has she had help this time.?

This is a vote changer - leave the water with local councils - water is the key function of councils, clean drinking water, safe removal of storm and waste water - no national organization can deal with these local issues. Councils actually need more autonomy to deal with these issues. The review into Havelock shows ongoing problems with an uncontained aquifer- it is being used as an opportunity to punish the public into paying for water treatment that is unnecessary and unwanted- especially in Christchurch!.

Terrible idea. Drinking water is a local resource so should be managed locally. If the proposed changes happen and Christchurch will never be chlorine free again. We would have less democracy and little local control. Mahuta cant speak for successive governments when she says water provision would not be privatised.

This will be the first stage of Iwi having a greater say and being able to clip the ticket on water if it goes aheadCentral government can not look after local issues at all well and this is one that they should keep their grimy hands off

Keep control of water local and prevent unnecessary chlorination and fluoridation. They only people who should have control over a particular water supply are those that drink it.

...Hello, Im from the government and Im here to help you...Whatever is wrong with local body management of water, it cant be worse than what the government would do. For years the Government has failed to manage the countrys greatest physical asset - Housing New Zealand properties, they have created a no loose outcome for foreigners wanting to buy our land, They have allowed, in the last decade, whole schools to be built which leak and are unusable, and they have knowingly allowed the maintenance of hospitals and schools to effectively stop by strangling the funding to those sectors. They have for decades mandated the building of junk houses through the creation of a building code which details how to build large sheds with internal walls, and throughout this carnage they have created a low wage economy where the trickle down improvements got stuck in the Audi franchise. And now they want to take over the water, the most basic source of wellbeing on earth - give me a break.....

This isnt going to end well, mark my words. Once more levels of governance weasel their way onto the gravy train costs will escalate significantly. #OurWaterOurChoice