Labour’s attempt to entrench the need for a 60% majority to privatise water has been frowned upon by the anorak train spotting brigade.
Sure Labour and the Greens shouldn’t be entrenching legislation BUT you just can’t trust National and ACT when it comes to privatisation and it’s important to ensure they can’t privatise our water once it’s brought together in 3 Waters.
ACTs first attempted change to 3 Waters at the first reading was to recommend Public-Private-Partnerships to run water so you see why the Left want to entrench against water privatisation when the first suggestion to 3 Waters is Public-Private-Partnerships!
From the beginning for me, 3 Waters needed to do 3 things.
1 – Provide fresh clean water to everyone in NZ.
2 – Ensure water can never be privatised.
3 – Stop foreign company water bottling.
It’s questionable 3 Waters can do the first, it’s moot if it can do the 3rd, yet it seems to do little to prevent the second!
Queenstown Lakes District councillor, Niki Gladding, has given a brutal assessment of how the technical changes in the legislation are open to an interpretation where our water could be privatised.
I urge the Government’s immediate attention to this.
Because there’s no way we can allow any mechanism that makes potentially privatising our water a possibility!
In my thinking, we should just Nationalise the Water and see Co-Governance as a brake peddle to any future privatisation.
I don’t see the Co-Governance issue as the great bogeyman that the Right do. I see it as a simple extension of the Waitangi Tribunal ruling into water rights that was sparked by Key selling 49% of our Hydro assets.
That ruling said Māori water rights existed and that it was up to the Crown and Māori to negotiate that.
Using the existing co-governance infrastructure developed by ACT and National, 3 Waters is the expression of that entire process.
If ACT, the Taxpayers Union and National all dog whistle long enough on this and win the election, they’ll cancel 3 Waters which will lead to an immediate challenge in the Waitangi Tribunal where Māoridom will argue they negotiated a deal, as the Court had stated and then the Crown dumped it. The Court will rule in Māoridom’s favour and Luxon will face his own Helen Clark moment and just try to confiscate the water legally.
This of course will spark one hell of a violent protest response.
So before we get there, how about we get this right and entrench Public ownership around our water. Seize it under the Public Works Act if you need, but just get it done, because we can’t in good faith accept an outcome where privatisation is easier.
Explain the need for co-governance to provide the essential hand break to stop white rich people selling our water off to corporations.
This all seems moot because any Parliament with 51% majority can pass legislation to over rule any entrenchment of policy.
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A better response to Key selling 49% of our Hydro assets would be:
A) nationalizing them without compensation
B) trying Key for treason and giving him the traditional punishment
I’m sorry but a super majority clause for ideological laws without agreement of the majority of MP’s is plain stupid and it opens up one hell of a Pandora’s box for any other government to do the same. And even though the Greens are thick, I can’t help but wonder who was pulling their chain with that little gem! No debate, no public feedback. Imagine if National did similar!
3 or 5 Waters, or whatever Jacinda denies it is appears little to do with water quality and everything to do with control, let’s be very honest. As much as the government denies it, its about unelected no name people from nowhere having huge control over ALL water over the democratically elected and potentially holding us all to ransom with that power.
The more the government tries to sneak this through the more it looks like a flea ridden mangy dog. The super majority yet another example of the bullshit that this undemocratic legislation has to use to get its way.
The entire 3 Waters policy has stunk from the beginning and it reeks of dishonesty because it masks its true intent. Jacinda may be useless and definitely leading her government to defeat anyway but unless she takes control of this dog and some of her more shadowy Ministers, it’s going to sink the Labour Party permanently. And although I don’t quite think that’s what she on mind by being transformative, she is set to do just that if she passes 3 Waters!
“Let’s be very honest.” Very honest???
Many years ago I learned never to believe anyone who uttered the phrase, ‘Let’s be honest.” A flowery cascade of pure bullshit-spin was sure to follow.
Congrats, XRAY
You just believe it’s all about the water quality In Vino. And Santa Claus!
While I am with you on most of it. I don’t support the proposed 60% entrention at all. Sage and Labour have put us all on a slippery course where this will just become the norm for both sides going forward. The Te Man O Wai statements also need to be removed as they in effect grant 100% governance to Maori and it is not Co-Governance at all.
Many people (~ over 90% at the last justice referendum) will have no problem with National+Act entrenching 3 Strikes next time they can. We might even move back to public executions some day.
Labour+Greens undemocratic action (no surprises there) will open a festering can of worms.
Why will there be violent protests if “co-governance” don’t get their hands on half of Watercare? Protests about what?
While the water assets are owned by, is it 100, councils up and down the country its very difficult for International Water Inc to overide local councillors and voters and gain control. Four regional water entities is just the
method to make privatisation easier just like Roger Douglases state owned corporations Telecom and Electricorp. Co governance just means maori who from what I can surmise dont have a lot of experience operating water infrastructure will lease out their water rights to corpoarations in the same way that maori not having experience of operating factory scale fishing leased out their fish quota. This whole neoliberal bigger better more efficiency bs is the same scam that has seen higher consumer electricity prices and higher super city rates. There is absolutely no doubt that 3 waters will result in everyone paying more for their share of the rain.
Yes ultimately I suspect it will be about 3 times more. Exactly what happenned with electricity when it went out of Council control it doubled. This will be worse because Labour has bribed councils with $1.5 billion with money borrowed from international lenders so it will start with millions of dollars in interst debt from Day 1.
its an absolute outrage.
Our constitution is based on Parliamentary supremacy. It is the only way people in NZ have a voice especially when you have a rogue government like this one. Entrenchment like this is a filibuster to rival the most corrupt US Republican tactics. I’m not buying that Eugenie Sage who has a particular demographic and is on her way out of politics just happened to dream this up now.
There are signs that this was being considered several months ago before the consultation documents were in so to say it’s a result of overwhelming requests via the consultation process to protect water from privatisation isn’t credible.
Also if it’s so important that it has to be entrenched why the 60% threshold and not the 75%? Could it be because that this is the current majority of this government but a majority unlikely to be reached by a Right leaning Govt under MMP especially with approaching demographic changes.
Entrenching legislation like this will destroy our democracy as it will be used by both sides to corrupt parliamentary supremacy. We will end up like the US with a democracy in name only.
Well said Fantail.
The problem here is the precedent being set.
If this is allowed to proceed what would stop a future Government of any stripe claiming entrenchment provisions on any of their pet policies.
Democracy was certainly the loser in this debacle.
What’s worse is Ardern lied about knowing about this move by Sage/ Mahuta to introduce entrancement into the 5 waters policy.
Ardern was in the caucus meeting when it was discussed!
Ardern is not to be trusted… To much spin, lies and deception.
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