Local Government Minister Rodney Hide has intervened in the Auckland mayoral and council elections with a carefully contrived announcement on water rates.
You would think water rates would be decided and announced by the new Auckland Council. The election is, after all, only six weeks away. And the water company, is after all, owned by the Council.
But no, Mr Hide yesterday trumpeted a new water rate that will see all Auckland houses pay the same tariff of $1.30 per 1000 litres of water.
Asked why he was announcing it now, he replied because Aucklanders have been “anxious about water” charges.
Why have they been anxious about water charges? Because the Government wants to roll out volumetric or user pays pricing for waste-water expected to result in hefty increases for most Aucklanders. And because the centre-right Citizens and Ratepayers ticket has the same policy. And the C&R mayoral candidate Mr Banks has been taking heat on this issue.
Mr Hide was happy to announce the new rate on water piped to the home, but he was keeping quiet on the new rate for waste water which is the one that is likely to go up significantly if it gets the full user-pays treatment. If he was going to announce one I don’t see why he couldn’t have announced both, because Watercare has had a full year to do the calculations on both.
The farsighted Mr Hide has legislated that waste water charges, and general rates, won’t be going up until mid-2012 which just happens to be after the mayoral and council elections, and after next year’s general election.
By the time the new waste water and general rates kick in, the Auckland Council will have been in place for 18 months and Mr Hide will be able to wash his hands of any responsibility. He is hoping the Council will have to carry the can for the structures and budgets he put in place 18 months before.
If in 2012 the waste water charges and general rates do go up, as most Aucklanders believe they will, with any luck we won’t have to listen to Mr Hide blaming the Auckland Council. He will be long gone by then.
Bleep me!
Water is essential for human life, it shouldn’t be a money making product! 
Would a labour government commit to enabling households to get the benefit of any steps they take to reduce water consumption, waste production and energy use.
Currently the system is rigged to keep the water and energy companies in a near monopoly business. They like people to continue to use more water, more energy and create more waste. They like getting paid more for it too.
So as a householder I would like to have the choice to collect my own rainwater, implement modern low or zero water sanitation choices, and generate my own energy and not get penalised with higher flat charges and base rates.
Living on Waiheke where we are already independent of WaterSpend I want re-assurances that I will not have to subsidise water users on the mainland
Charging for waste makes sense if people are allowed to make other arrangements and not produce any waste. Otherwise its just another tax diverted to a private company.
Andrew
Rodney Hide apparently thinks we are meat with eyes…
LOL
Hi Andrew. I think the principle of rewarding people for reducing consumption whether it is energy or water is sound and we need to be developing the policies to put it into practice. But I don’t know where the party is up to on this issue at the moment.
See City Vision’s statement on the water rates issue: http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/roll-out-auckland-city039s-waste-water-pricing-could-shock/5/60875
Spud, food is also essential for human life so by your logic food shouldn’t be a money making product either.
Dylan, it’s something like 3 days without water until you die. We’ll be paying for air next
You are not far off the mark, I do think that every human deserves food. I’m happy to pay for it because I don’t have to grow and source it myself 
Water should be as cheap as possible, damn near free because our bodies comprise 70% of it 
(until the ethanol kicks in).
Well I currently pay $1.28 per 1000L of water…
Didnt Banks announce a few days ago that water would be cheaper with him as Mayor? Surely people can see through this carefully orchestrated ruse? It appears Banks strategy has always been to promote the idea that the leopard has changed his spots, while being more of a leopard than ever?
@ Tracey, are you suggesting collusion between Banks and Ford and Hawkins and Hide to advantage his campaign? No one would believe it, surely.
Oh no, Ms Boag would never stand for that kind of think, with her high personal ethics and all.
When are they going to take the bleepin fluoride out?
Spud, if you move to Onehunga you can have Flouride free water. Unless things have changed drastically, Onehunga uses the water from the supply in Spring St and isn’t Flouridated.
The price arguement is just a smokescreen diversion from the stuctural form designed to fall to privatisation.
Dylan
If food is not a right then tell me more please.
Tell the fat little perk buster that Auckland already has enough problems, privatisation is only going to make it worse, how, let see all the bastard want a 10%+ profit, which could be better spent in reinvestment of Auckland, like roads water etc…
Mind you this really suits Auckland as it already full of Greed Businessmen or wannabe Greed Businessmen which most of them are, the twats.
Last time this country went through privatisation, our DEBT went through the roof the the economic stagnated and the poor became poor and the rich became stupidly rich the top 1% already enough the sods and most of the prats don’t work much work either.
Greed businessmen are useless when it comes to running the country, just look at donKey… even Aunty Helen had bigger balls than he does!
Thoughtful post from Joel Cayford on water pricing: http://joelcayford.blogspot.com/2010/09/auckland-water-tariffs.html
“Spud, if you move to Onehunga you can have Flouride free water. Unless things have changed drastically, Onehunga uses the water from the supply in Spring St and isn’t Flouridated.” Thanks for the tip
I don’t want to live there, but at least there is one place in NZ with common sense. 