Most of the lower South Island councils have had their plans for delivering water services accepted. Photo: 123rf
The Dunedin City Council's plan for delivering water services has been given a green light by the secretary for local government.
All councils were required to prepare a plan as part of the government's Local Water Done Well reform.
The council opted to retain in-house control of its drinking water, wastewater and stormwater, detailing how it will sustainably deliver and fund the services over the next decade.
Chief executive Sandy Graham said the accepted plan would make it easier to coordinate water with the other services the council provided while carefully managing debt levels.
"The accepted water services delivery plan reflects (the council's) ownership and responsibility for our water infrastructure, while being directly accountable to the Dunedin community," she said.
Sophie Barker. Photo: Supplied
Mayor Sophie Barker said it was a significant milestone that reflected the call from the community to keep their water services local and managed by the council.
"I'm really pleased our plan has been accepted, which means we can move ahead with a model that puts our people first and reflects what they've asked for," Barker said.
Most lower South Island plans approved
Most of the lower South Island councils have had their plans for delivering water services accepted.
On Wednesday, the Southland District Council confirmed its plan to keep water services in-house had been accepted, with mayor Rob Scott saying it vindicated the council's decision to continue with the model.
"We consulted on that option because we believed we were doing water delivery well already, and then the community confirmed that our current approach was the right one," Scott said.
"It is a huge acknowledgement that our water services are already being delivered to a very high standard by our team, who have a wealth of local knowledge and were always best placed to continue doing the work."
Last month, the Central Otago, Clutha and Gore district councils' plan to create the South Island's biggest joint council water company was approved.
Around the same time the Waitaki District Council - which was formerly part of the Southern Waters partnership - found out its standalone plan had been rejected.
The council has since agreed to accept Crown intervention with former minister Amy Adams appointed to help the council resubmit its plan.
Last week, the Queenstown Lakes District Council received approval for its plan to establish a new council-controlled organisation.
The Invercargill City Council also received a tick of approval to keep its water services delivery in-house.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
