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Time is of the essence for anyone keen to share their feedback on the latest chapter in the Government’s Three Waters Reform process.

That’s the message from Tauranga City Council (TCC), which is taking every opportunity to make sure its communities are heard and considered in the government-led initiative to merge and standardise water services across New Zealand.

Before its summer break the Government released two new legislative bills, the Water Services Legislation Bill and Water Services Economic Efficiency and Consumer Protection Bill. The two new bills are now open for submissions from councils and the wider public. Individuals have until 12 February 2023 to make their submission, with council submissions closing shortly afterward on 17 February 2023.

Due to the short submission window and breadth of the legislation, TCC has joined forces with 21 other councils in the Entity B area to enlist the aid of Simpson Grierson, a legal firm specialising in public policy analysis. The Firm will assist TCC and the other councils to conduct a thorough review of the two bills. This will allow Council to submit an accurate and impactful response within the Government’s limited timeframe.

The limited timeframe to submit responses also means TCC is unable to incorporate community feedback into its formal council submission. Instead, it encourages its communities to submit their feedback on the two bills directly to Central Government through its submission portals.

To make individual submissions follow the submission prompts on New Zealand Parliament’s webpages for the Water Services Legislation Bill and the Water Services Economic Efficiency and Consumer Protection Bill.

Previous Tauranga City Council submissions can be found on TCC’s Three Waters Reform webpage.