The New Zealand Government is considering making changes to the Local Government Act which could see local bodies able to meet drainage costs by a charge based on the amount of water households used. The NELSON MAIL ARTICLE BELOW claims that the government is considering changing the law (Rating Powers Act & Local Government Act) to permit user charges for wastewater without a LATE (like Metrowater) needing to be established. Since METROWATER LTD Auckland, as the first and only retail water LATE, has been opposed and somewhat discredited by the Water Pressure Group in Auckland City, there is decreasing likelihood that any other local body would now establish a water company. The AUCKLAND REGION WATER REVIEW has precisely this end in sight however when it puts forward its Option One (Modified Status Quo). The only real "modification" under this option would be that wastewater user charges could be imposed without a local body needing to commercialise their water services.

The massive lobby from the combined pressure of the six municipalities comprising the Review has been described as containing sufficient potential weight to convince central government of the "desirability" of law reform to permit this change. But now it emerges that the government is apparently independently considering introducing user charges anyway, ignoring the thousands of People's Option postcard submissions which were sent to the Minister for Auckland Issues, Judith Tizard. In spite of a $250,000 publicity budget hard-selling the review, the PR failed to gain even one third as evidenced in the numbers of submissions received supporting the entire three "official" options combined. The Nelson Mail, 27 APRIL 2001. Nelson Mayor Paul Matheson wants to pull the chain on a Nelson City Council proposal to introduce a toilet tax for waste water. Mr Matheson said he was opposed to the proposed "toilet tax" or pan charge, as it disadvantaged the majority of Nelsonians - those whose properties had a land value less than $80,000. The toilet tax was approved for inclusion in the council's draft annual plan in March with little debate and is aimed at shifting the cost of paying for sewage and wastewater disposal away from a drainage rate based on land value. It will place more of those costs on to lower-valued properties.

The charge would be levied on a property basis, rather than for every toilet in a household. Mr Matheson said he had to leave early from the draft annual plan meeting where the issue was discussed and had not yet had a chance to speak on it. However, he would be speaking up "as soon as possible", which he expected to be as part of finalising the draft annual plan. The Government is considering making changes to the Local Government Act which could see local bodies able to meet drainage costs by a charge based on the amount of water households used. Mr Matheson said it made more sense to wait until those changes had been finalised, which he expected to be before the end of the Government's term in 2002. If the toilet tax went ahead, it would mean two changes to the charging system in two years. "There's been enough changes in the last few years, without changing that (the drainage rate). Why don't we just wait." A public meeting is scheduled to be held on the draft annual plan in May, with submissions on the plan closing at 4pm on Tuesday May 22.