Buller District Council explores options to manage Buller’s drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater in the future
Buller District Council reviewed options for managing the district's drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater in the future at a public workshop this week. This was the third workshop held so far this year, unpacking the implications of central government’s Local Water Done Well Legislation.
Councillors were presented with the shortlisted options proposed for public consultation in late April.
At present, the shortlisted options are:
- an internal business unit or division, meaning to keep the status quo
- a single-asset-owning council-controlled organisation (CCO)
- a multi-asset-owning council-controlled organisation (CCO)
Councils nationwide can choose between five options on which to base their future water service delivery models. The two options that Council ruled out are a mixed council/consumer trust-owned water organisation and a consumer trust-owned water organisation. Any consumer trust options would cut off access to New Zealand Local Government Funding Agency borrowing levels. Therefore, these options are unlikely to meet the financial sustainability requirements set out in the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024.
A non-asset-owning CCO has also been ruled as unfeasible, since the benefits of an asset-owning entity significantly outweigh a non-asset-owning organisation. The option to keep stormwater management in-house and only include drinking and wastewater is also off the table, since it is not financially feasible.
Group Manager Infrastructure Services Anthony Blom says: “We need to include the status quo as an option to comply with the Local Water Done Well legislation, despite this not being an option going forward. Delivering water services to our community as we previously did is financially unsustainable.”
The financial analysis of the three shortlisted options reveals the economic benefits of delivering water services with other councils.
Mr Blom says: “We have calculated the investment required and the price per household over a 20-year period, as we need look at this through a long-term lens. The figures show that delivering drinking water, wastewater disposal, and stormwater management will be more expensive, regardless of the option chosen.
Some of Buller’s water supplies require significant investment to provide and deliver drinking water that will meet future regulatory standards, especially the numerous rural water supplies in Northern Buller. We also have some investment ahead, necessary for upgrading our wastewater management to meet future consent requirements.”
Advantages and disadvantages were outlined for each of the three options brought forward for community input.
A steering group, consisting of Cr Phil Grafton, Cr Grant Weston and key Council staff developed a scoring system, which was then applied to evaluate the options. The results were presented to Council at the workshop this week.
Buller District Council have engaged in conversations with other Councils about forming a multi-asset owning Council-Controlled Organisations (CCO) including Tasman and Marlborough Councils and separately with Grey District Council.
The options for public consultation will be presented to Council at the end of March. This will then help finalise the Consultation Document for adoption in April. After this, council will consult with the community in late April and decide on a preferred option at the end of June.
Mr Blom says: “The implications surrounding the Local Water Done Well legislation are significant, and we encourage the community to stay informed.
We will publish information about the development of the Water Services Delivery Plan and the current state of the district’s water services throughout March and April, so people can make an informed decision when we’ll ask the community which option they think is best for managing Buller’s water services in the future.”
Council will publish relevant information on its community engagement platform, Let’s talk Buller and other channels.
-ENDS-
For further information, please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz