Call for community views on government’s proposed Three Waters Reform
Taupō District Council is calling for the community to share their views on the future of three waters by completing a short survey at www.surveymonkey.com....
The government is currently proposing significant changes to the delivery of three waters (stormwater, wastewater and drinking water) including the creation of four publicly-owned entities to deliver these services. For the Taupō District, this would see us join with 21 other local council areas.
Every council has until late September to assess this proposal and the impacts on local communities.
Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas said while this is a government-led proposal, and council doesn’t have all the information, it is important to include community feedback at this stage in the process.
“This is about getting the conversation started. While formal consultation would be government-led, we think including your feedback at this stage is the right thing to do, as we believe our local voices are a key part of these reforms.
“What we do know is that compliance costs for water will increase significantly over time so a key consideration for us is whether we want to pay higher rates to keep ownership and control of our water assets or do we want to pay lower rates, by spreading the cost out across a wider area, but see the ownership and control of these assets sit with central government.
“The survey will allow us to better understand the community’s views on this balance of keeping costs affordable for households and retaining the delivery of three waters within council.
“This will also allow us to include our community’s views as a valuable part of what we take back to Government at the end of September,” Mr Trewavas said.
The survey closes on Wednesday 15 September to allow council time to review responses and incorporate into council’s formal response to the government’s Three Waters Reform proposal.
After this, the government has said they will consider next steps, including the process and revised timing for decision-making and consultation.
To fill out the survey please head to www.surveymonkey.com...
For more information on Three Waters you can head to taupo.govt.nz/threewatersreform or head to dia.govt.nz/Three-waters-review.
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️