Last month I wrote about the Government's failure to repeal David Parker's mad 'te Mana o te Wai' (literally meaning the mana of the water) requirements.
A few days ago, the research team at the Taxpayers’ Union were sent the details on how the rules are playing it out in my local area: Otago.
While we knew it would be expensive, even I didn’t think it would be this bad.
The cost to comply for local ratepayers is tens of thousands per household.
Our friends at Federated Farmers were leaked confidential documents out of Otago Regional Council (and, given the mutual interest in this issue, have kindly shared them with the Taxpayers' Union team). Here's their summary:
Councils were required to give effect to the principle of Te Mana o Te Wai under the previous Government’s freshwater policies.
While the new Government has announced it will review the direction requiring this, their review is not yet complete.
It’s staggering that, despite the review, Otago Regional Council (ORC) is charging on and aiming to give legal effect to Te Mana o Te Wai this year.
We understand the council has reached a view that protecting the mana of water means no treated urban wastewater will be able to be discharged to waterways.
If this rule is implemented, it will no doubt mean billions of dollars of additional cost for Otago ratepayers, including farmers.
Current infrastructure, even though it treats water to an incredibly high standard, would need to be mothballed and replaced.
We also understand that, under the council’s definition of Te Mana o Te Wai, water from one river can’t mix with water from another.
If such a rule is implemented, it would cause major issues for irrigation schemes where water is stored and irrigated in an area where it may eventually enter a different catchment.
Again, none of this is to do with the scientific view of freshwater quality; it’s simply aiming to give effect to Te Mana o Te Wai.
According to the documents obtained by Federated Farmers, in at least two small towns in Central Otago, the cost of giving effect to Te Mana o te Wai will be more than $50,000 per residential ratepayer!
Quite rightly, Federated Farmers are calling on the Council to come clean. And remember, this has nothing to do with health and well-being, and frankly it has very little to do with the environment. This isn’t being pushed through because it will help people, but because it will boost the mana of the water.
Frankly, the 'spiritual health' of the water should not come ahead of people’s ability to afford groceries or human health – but that’s what the Te Mana o te Wai regulations says must happen!
Your local council is next ...
Otago is only the start. These requirements are being rolled out all over the country. The Government has promised to replace this broken law at some point in a few years.
But these costs are happening right now. Regional councils are spending millions as they are legally required to work with local iwi to determine what te Mana o te Wai means in their particular area.
As the plans are developed (and in Otago's case actually implemented) the special interests and expectations get bedded in.
The longer the Government waits, the harder these plans will be to unwind (and the more the special interests will complain to the media).
That's why we can’t afford to wait. And the solution is just the stroke of the Minister’s pen away: Ministers Chris Bishop and Simeon Brown can repeal David Parker's National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management which contains the te Mana o te Wai provisions.
The Taxpayers' Union and Federated Farmers are working to stop this dead in its tracks by asking Ministers to scrap Te Mana o te Wai.
Please join me in supporting the Taxpayers' Union, and the Federated Farmers, by emailing the Ministers.
It needs to happen now, not three years down the line after all the damage has been done.
I appreciate that this water stuff is hugely complicated – these rules are totally different to the "Three Waters", but will affect local water supplies (and cause costs to skyrocket!) just the same.
The simple lesson is we can't ask councils to regulate "mana" or "life-force" of water as it's just a recipe for crazy costs and a poorer New Zealand.
Peter Williams
Financial Supporter and Former Board Member