Dear John,

Today Labour made a desperate attempt to rebrand its toxic Three Waters reforms but the reality is nothing much has changed.

It’s a case of the same broken reforms, with a new coat of paint.

Labour’s Three Waters 2.0 still takes local assets and local control away from councils and forces them into entities – the number of which has increased from 4 to 10. And it still includes co-governance via regional representative groups that sit underneath the 10 entities.

We know Kiwis want local water assets in local hands, and they don’t want co-governance structures imposed on them. But Labour just doesn’t get it.

John, the reality is Labour can’t be trusted.

National will repeal and replace Labour’s Three Waters model with a comprehensive Local Water Done Well plan that will deliver clean water and get councils on a stable financial footing. 

We will restore council ownership and control, but with stronger central government oversight, including strict rules for water quality and for investment in infrastructure, so Kiwis don’t have to worry about sewage on their streets, un-swimmable beaches, or having to boil their drinking water.

National will require councils to ring-fence money for water infrastructure, instead of spending it on other services, and ensure water services are financially sustainable so that future generations don’t inherit outdated or failing infrastructure.

Kiwis face a clear choice this election, Labour’s broken Three Waters or National’s Local Water Done Well.

Read our policy here. You can read more about our announcement on National's policy priorities webpage.

Thanks,

Christopher