YOUR INDUSTRY
There will be a 50-50 split between council and iwi on the representative group for each of the four entities
No escaping Three Waters There will be no chance for growers to fly under the radar with the government’s proposed Three Waters reform package. Rose Mannering While its main thrust is to improve the stormwater, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure (the Three Waters) of cities and towns, rural water supplies will also be scrutinised under new water legislation. Hastings District Council is one of 2000 submitters who have raised alarm bells regarding what water quality requirements for rural landowners will be. Their submission states that in Hawke’s Bay alone there are 6000 private water supplies and it is vitally important that practical solutions are found for this group. For the towns and cities, decades of under-investment has led to many district councils being unable to meet environmental and public health requirements. There are clear distinctions: Three Waters will not be involved with regional council work with regard to water consents. They will be taking over the management of council infrastructure for stormwater, drinking water and wastewater, carving New Zealand into four separate 24
The ORCHARDIST : JUNE 2022
zones for this purpose. The zones are Auckland and north thereof; central North Island; East Coast of the North Island and top of the South; and finally the rest of the South Island. Representation on these four entities will be mainly by government appointment and there is concern about loss of regional control. Growers will be most affected by the regulatory arm of the Three Waters Reform, Taumata Arowai. Taumata Arowai is developing regulations which will ultimately mean growers will need to prove their water is safe to drink. The regulations are being developed in bands, depending on how many people on each property use the water. Taumata Arowai principal technical advisor, Jim Graham, says anything more than a domestic supply will eventually come under his organisation’s rules. Anybody who supplies water to people other than their own family will have a duty of care to prove their water is safe. Even lifestyle blocks that have a secondary dwelling will be required to register as a water supplier.
