Auchinvole Chris: South Taranaki District Council (Cold Creek Rural Water Supply) Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Auchinvole Chris: South Taranaki District Council (Cold Creek Rural Water Supply) Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 21 March 2012. Volume:678;Page:1186. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National) 
: 
 It is with pleasure that I stand to speak on the South Taranaki District Council (Cold Creek Rural Water Supply) Bill and I reflect back having listened to the previous speaker the Hon Annette King on the serious concerns that she has expressed. I am quite sure from speaking to my colleagues about this bill and I am quite sure from my previous experience with the Local Government and Environment Committee that those concerns—probably very correctly raised—will be answered during the select committee deliberation which is why I am very pleased to think that there could be universal agreement to refer this bill to a select committee. 
 I may say that I appreciate the business of water supply in private from my experience especially with dealing with other members of the Opposition. There is almost a paranoia at times—not in this case but at times there is almost a paranoia from my friend over there over who should own water. I note one of the significant things about this particular proposal—and let us just look at the background to it. I have come into it without having been part of any previous discussion and I can sense that it is pretty much straight up and down. It is a real Taranaki job. 
Hon Chester Borrows 
: That’s right. 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: That’s right. I am told I am right and it is reassuring to hear that from the member. 
It is not a significant economic asset. It is not like the discussions we had over the Auckland water supply. The farmers who use it and who will be the shareholders are the only ones who benefit from the scheme; they are the only ones who are at any risk from the scheme not quite working out. It is about pipes and concrete—pipes and concrete I say to Andrew Little—not about the water. The bill enables ownership of an asset built by the local committee. And let us remember when this was done. This was done between 1984 and 1987. It was a good classic instance of a community putting shoulders to the wheel noses to the grindstone getting on— 
Andrew Little 
: Using taxpayers’ money. 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: No they did not actually use taxpayers’ money. Read your notes about it. It was a group of farmers and residents living near Opunake—sorry taxpayer possibly yes—and they built a water-race scheme in the Cold Creek catchment to supply the farms and the homes with water. 
Four times the South Taranaki District Council which really does know what it is talking about has voted to vest the scheme back to the Cold Creek Community Water Supply Ltd—four times. Each time it has come across the problem associated with the Local Government Act 2002. The scheme was as Andrew Little has correctly said financed by a Government subsidy dollar for dollar contributions— 
Grant Robertson 
: Oh there we go! 
CHRIS AUCHINVOLE 
: That is right. So we are saying that under a Labour Government the contributions were made dollar for dollar. It was not free. At the time the Government insisted that legal title of the scheme be vested in a local entity. So it was; it was vested in the Egmont Plains Community Board. With local authority amalgamations in 1989 the South Taranaki District Council became the title-holders. The question would be: have the ratepayers contributed to the cost of this operation? Have they? They have not. They have never paid towards the purchase the maintenance or otherwise of the scheme or any other part. It is totally operated by the residents and the beneficiaries of the scheme. Therefore they want ownership vested in them under the Cold Creek Community Water Supply company. That is perfectly reasonable. The company has managed the scheme including finances operations and maintenance of the water reticulation work since 2001. 
To reassure the previous speaker the cost of the water the price of the water is not perceived as a problem. The company has large financial reserves. It is not afraid of maintaining the costs itself. But I appreciate the points that have been raised and I have every confidence—every confidence—that every question will be answered to the satisfaction and reassurance of the Opposition. Thank you.