Christchurch City Council is considering cancelling its membership with Local Government New Zealand.

LGNZ is the advocacy body for regional and district councils across New Zealand, but some Councils have been unhappy with its handling of the Government’s proposed reform of three water services – drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.

Last month, the Timaru District Council voted unanimously to remove itself from LGNZ as it felt the organisation had not done enough to advocate for councils concerned about the reforms.

Today, Christchurch City Council voted to record its disappointment in LGNZ.

It has also asked staff to prepare a report on the consequences of the Council cancelling its LGNZ membership.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel told local radio last week she didn’t think cancelling Council’s membership was a good idea.

In a statement released today she said “If the Council wants to go down that track, it needs to fully understand the ramifications of that decision so that is why staff have been asked to prepare a report with advice on the consequences of withdrawing.”