Taxpayers’ Union welcomes announcement of Three Waters repeal – still work to do

The Taxpayer’s Union is today welcoming Local Government Minister Simeon Brown’s announcement that the Government will scrap Three Waters in the new year but says there is still work to be done to ensure that its replacement protects property rights, ensures sustainable investment and infrastructure and removes undemocratic co-governance.

Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said:

“We have spent the better part of two years campaigning to stop Three Waters including a nationwide roadshow, more than 100,000 petition signatures and almost 70,000 submissions to the select committee. The announcement to repeal Three Waters is a welcome one, the Department of Internal Affairs should immediately halt all work relating to Three Waters in order to prevent further wastage of taxpayers’ money.

“But there is still work to be done. The Taxpayers’ Union’s technical advisory group, chaired by Malcolm Alexander has been working hard drafting replacement legislation, which will be presented to the Minister in the near future. There is no point repealing Three Waters if its replacement is just a watered-down version of Labour’s proposal. We encourage the Minister to engage constructively with those in the local government sector and experts, including our Technical Advisory Group.

“While we remain optimistic, we will not rest until we see Three Waters repealed and a workable replacement has been passed through all stages of the house.”