Some councillors expressed feelings of being strong-armed by central Government on Thursday over the realities of meeting Three Waters delivery laws.

“When I look at the words, ‘Local Water Done Well’, it makes me think we’re actually looking down this well, and feeling a bit done,” said councillor Toni Boynton.

Councillor Gavin Dennis expressed resignation that the council had no choice but to adopt the Water Services Delivery Plan for submission to the Department of Internal Affairs for approval by September 3.

“This is the best deal we can get,” Mr Dennis said.

“The Government is forcing us to either do it this way or go into a multi-council set up and if we do it this way it has to be with their rules and their regulations.”

The plan proposes setting up a ringfenced, standalone business unit by July 1, 2027. It also allows for continuation of discussions with Rotorua, Kawerau and Ōpōtiki around a multiple council controlled organisation and whether the benefits of that, longer-term, could be shown.

It also represented increased investment needed in three waters to meet legislative requirements which would need to be determined in 2027 during the next long term planning round.

General manager David Bewley said there had been insufficient investment in water infrastructure in previous years to meet the new standards. Rates would go up as a result.

“Our debt levels go up as well. Currently we have about $78 million worth of debt around our three waters. That heads up to just over $200 million by 2034.”

The DIA had earlier expressed doubts that without joining a multi-council CCO, Whakatāne District Council would be able to meet legislative requirements.

After the council submitted a draft of its plan the department responded in a letter tabled to councillors at Thursday’s meeting, conceding that the plan appeared to meet the content in the Act.

The plan would focus on drinking water compliance with new regulation by 2028 as a priority and then wastewater by 2032.

The DIA’s letter said it would prefer wastewater to be compliant earlier than that, despite the fact new legislation around that had not yet been finalised.

Councillors gave Mr Bewley approval to respond to that with further explanation of the council’s planning process in the final version

Mayor Victor Luca said “the crunch” would come during 2027’s Long-term Plan process. He said he had yet to see the case proven that larger water service entities were more economically efficient.

"I would certainly like to see the solid evidentiary case that bigger is better. But never mind. It looks like we’re being forced to go down a particular path and we don’t really have much of a choice. This has to get over the line on September 3 and it would not be good for us not to do that.”

Councillor Wilson James said he agreed with the sentiment that Dr Luca had expressed to councillors earlier in the day.

"There isn’t really a lot of local in this Local Water Done Well. It seems to be all determined from Wellington.”