“Ngai Tahu is not proposing taking ownership of three-waters assets,” says Dr Te Maire Tau, chair of Te Kura Taka Pini, the Ngāi Tahu freshwater group.

National Party Leader Judith Collins said today the Department of Internal Affairs has presented the Government’s preferred option for Three Waters reform to 23 mayors and South Island iwi. The proposal was to consolidate all water infrastructure across the South Island into one organisation.

She said this new Mainland water agency, which would assume ownership of all water assets and some council debt, was designed to be 50 per cent owned by Ngāi Tahu.

Dr Te Maire Tau said Ngāi Tahu believes water infrastructure asset must remain in public ownership.

“The tribe has been discussing co-governance of what will be publicly owned assets. Our goal is to ensure greater community representation, better environmental and health outcomes, and to safeguard against future privatisation.”

“Ngāi Tahu wants to design the structure of the new entity with the Crown and share governance responsibilities. Ngāi Tahu does not want to own three-waters infrastructure. We want an entity that provides local solutions and ensures all communities have equitable access to safe and resilient three-waters services.”

Ngāi Tahu has been in discussions with the Crown on the possibility of designing one of the new three-waters delivery entities that are being established under the Government’s reform programme to replace the 67 local councils currently delivering three-waters services.

“Ngāi Tahu has obligations and responsibilities to protect freshwater in the South Island that transcend central and local government election cycles.

“Our proposal, which we have consulted all the relevant councils about, explicitly does not include Ngāi Tahu ownership. The assets of the new entity would be owned by the communities who paid for them in the first place.”

“If Judith Collins had bothered to ask Ngāi Tahu about this proposal, instead of seeking headlines, she would have had the correct facts sooner.”