Little Andrew: South Taranaki District Council (Cold Creek Rural Water Supply) Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Little Andrew: South Taranaki District Council (Cold Creek Rural Water Supply) Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 13 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:8500. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
ANDREW LITTLE (Labour) 
: 
 I rise to speak in this third reading debate on the South Taranaki District Council (Cold Creek Rural Water Supply) Bill. I acknowledge my colleague Chester Borrows. I disagree with him on at least one point and that is when he says that he is just the sponsor of this bill. I want to correct the record and say that Mr Borrows is more than just a sponsor. He is not some sort of passive champion of this cause. He has played an active role both before this bill arrived in this House and ever since. His role started with going along with his colleague Shane Ardern and Mr Ardern’s brother and heavying the South Taranaki District Council into supporting in principle the transfer of the ownership of this water supply system. 
If there is one point I would like to make and to be on the record in this third reading debate it is that although Labour will support this bill let us not overlook that the process that has brought the bill here leaves a lot to be desired. It is not the way a local bill ought to be progressed or ought to be sponsored or supported by a member in this House. I think it is right and proper to note that there are people in the local community out there around Opunake and in the old Egmont County Council area who have expressed to me their concern about exactly what has happened here. There is very little to recognise in this bill from the respective contributions of the public and the private. 
This scheme is being transferred into private hands. There was a 50 percent capital input paid for by the taxpayer and although Mr Borrows said there is no record of any cost incurred by the council that has not been reimbursed by the subscribers to the scheme the reality is that there was much support and maintenance work done gratis by the council because it was easy and convenient to do so. The council had the expertise to do it and it wanted to support the community and that was done. A lot of that was engineering advice. The civil engineers employed by the council assisted the Cold Creek subscribers in the maintenance of their scheme. 
There is still a live issue today in relation to consultation with iwi. That has not been conducted well and that will remain an ongoing issue. I think it is a bit disingenuous to say that the property owners understand it but there was no meeting of the minds. The truth is that the property owners have seen an opportunity and they have taken it. The iwi representatives who have tried to engage have met with considerable frustration if not indeed obstruction and that will have an impact on their Treaty settlements which are forthcoming. 
There is a redeeming aspect to this bill and it is the fact—and it was added in during the select committee process—that there will be a referendum even though it is confined to only those who are serviced by the water scheme at the moment or to properties that are capable of being serviced by it. There will be some public input into that. 
The other redeeming aspect is that there has to be consultation with the local public health officer. That is appropriate and fair and that is right but I do note that even though there are assurances that this scheme will be available as an emergency water supply for the people of Opunake who have relied on this scheme in the past we need to see that that is made good in practice. So all eyes will go on the Cold Creek supply scheme subscribers to ensure that they are good to their word and that when the water supply of the people of Opunake is imperilled they will not be deprived of the water that comes out of this scheme. 
So with those caveats and with those riders and noting that this has not been a particularly smooth process and not an ideal process nevertheless Labour will support this bill.