The Star: November 04, 2021

Former Mayor Garry Moore is
quoted in last week’s The Star
as saying that “Christchurch
residents were angry when the
Government forced us to put
chlorine in our water.”
THe implication is that this was
a Cabinet decision. I doubt that.
Probably, the Ministry of
Health required the health board
to report on our water quality
and it was found that there was a
risk of bacterial and viral-based
infections damaging the health
of consumers.
The city council had to
chlorinate because old wellheads
hadn’t been maintained properly
and had to be replaced.
That neglect was what made
people angry, that a treasured
resource had been so neglected.
Why maintain pipes and
wellheads when you can have
the Ellerslie Flower Show for
example?
As the son of a Lyttelton
waterfront family, I grew up with
visiting merchant seaman telling
me that they always liked to
replenish their ship’s supplies in
Christchurch because its water
was the best in the world.
Sadly, maintaining the
water infrastructure to ensure
an enduring pure, untreated
and free water supply wasn’t
a top priority for the city
council.
It isn’t just Christchurch that
has failed. Sewage spills have
closed beautiful Auckland
beaches, while burst pipes
have become a regular feature
of downtown Wellington and
Dunedin had its Waikouaiti
water calamity, not to mention
Havelock North.
Whether Three Waters is the
best answer is still a matter for
discussion and submission, but
something needed to be done.
While things might look good
on the surface, where elected
members strut their stuff, the
treasure flowing beneath us has
been neglected by successive city
councils.
Now, while the councils will
retain ownership of the pipes
and pumps, a new management
arrangement is needed, for our
health’s sake. – Kerry Burke
In contrast to all the prophets
of doom (The Star, October 28)
I applaud the Government for
taking a strong stand on the
three waters.
The suggestion that the
water assets of councils and
constituencies are being stolen is
bunkum. They will still be held
in public ownership and more
protected from privatisation
than if held by councils alone.
The country as a whole needs
uniform equitable management of
the Three Waters and the core
proposal provides that.
Not that the proposal is yet
the finished product. It still
has to run the gauntlet of a
parliamentary select committee
and already adaptations are in
the pipeline.
I personally favour a
flatter regional management
structure and service delivery
with adequate avenues for
community input and reciprocal
accountability.
But the principle of an
equitable and cost-effective
system for the whole country
gets my vote. – Brian Turner,
Shirley
I am all for the water reforms
proposed by Nanaia Mahuta.
Anything to get the city
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council out of our lives has got to
be a good thing.
Councils up and down
the country have neglected
to maintain the water assets
appropriately and now the
chickens are coming home to
roost.
They have wasted the money
on other pet projects. It’s akin to
me neglecting to fix a leak in my
roof.
Additionally, I would have
thought the council would be
keen to retire the $1.1 billion of
debt the Government takes over
as part of the deal.
And no it won’t influence me
one way or the other when it
is time to vote. – Mel Bonner,
Queenspark.
I am lost for words with what
this Government is doing to us
all, not only with Three Waters
but with the many laws they are
quickly pushing through the
system with only a pretence of
consultation and due process.
They are meant to represent
us, not rule over us as royalty,
doing what they please against
the wishes of the people.
New Zealand is meant to be a
free, democratic society and is
quickly turning into anything
but free. – D Downward
I will make a prediction that if
the Government proceeds with
the Three Waters proposal it will
be their downfall.
We have a very
arrogant, dictatorial, nonconsultative
Government which
will also be its downfall.
The way Three Waters is being
proposed it will eventually finish
up in the control of iwi and no
doubt that is where the income
will go with little or no control
on costs.
Separatism seems to be also
high on this Government’s
agenda as well, which will be
another disaster. – A J Roberts
Megan Woods made one true
statement in her article at the
LETTERS 15
Three Waters decision: Readers respond
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Thursday November 4 2021 The Star
end of her piece in The Star.
Something has to change and
Canterbury deserves better.
We deserve a Government
that listens, not one hell-bent on
taking away control from local
voices in both water and health
and further expanding the
bureaucrats in Wellington.
Hopefully people will show
their opinion of this power
grab and return Christchurch
to the National Party at the
next election. – Trevor Sennitt,
Avonhead
Three Waters is a terrible theft
of ratepayers’ assets.
Our city council has
borrowings which are secured
against its assets.
We lose the assets what now
secures the borrowings?
The pittance the Government
is offering as payment will not
repay the money borrowed
against the assets we have had
stolen. – Rod Robinson
If our nation’s Three Waters
were not in such a poor state, the
subject would not have arisen
to be the subject of debate.
Surely those who would argue
democracy are not seeing the
cause of this deficiency.
The newspapers are full of
articles describing the poor and
unsafe state of water source and
reticulation; and the councils
do not appreciate being relieved
of this expense? Disquieting. –
Barry Pycroft
It will definitely affect my
vote next election. It is a wrong
decision. – Dave Webb
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