Water  |  13 Sep 2021

More than 5,000 local residents responded to Christchurch City Council’s early feedback survey on the Government’s Three Waters Reform Programme.

The survey ran from 24 August and closed yesterday. The total number of responses received was 5,125.

“On behalf of the Council, I want to thank all of the residents who took the time to let us know what’s important to them when it comes to how our drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services – our ‘three waters’ – are managed and delivered in our district,” says Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale.

“We’re very pleased with the level of response we received from the community.”

“This is just the start of a public conversation – we’re planning other opportunities in the future – but the early feedback we received from residents in this survey will form part of the overall feedback we provide to the Government at the end of this month.”

The Council is currently involved in an eight-week engagement period with the Government until the end of September, to better understand the implications of the Three Waters Reform Programme for the Council and for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

At the end of the engagement period, the Government has said it will consider the next steps for the reform programme and a revised timeframe for councils to make a decision about whether to continue with reform, including any time for public consultation with communities.

“We will be making it very clear in our feedback to the Government that we fully expect to consult with our community when it comes to such an important and significant decision for our residents,” adds Mrs Baxendale.

An analysis of the Council’s survey results will form part of a public report to Councillors before the end of this month.

Learn more about the Three Waters Reform Programme.