111-594: The Water Services Reform Programme (formerly known as Three Waters ) was a public infrastructure restructuring programme launched by the Sixth Labour Government to centralise the management of water supply and sanitation in New Zealand . It originally proposed shifting control of stormwater , drinking water and wastewater management from the country's 67 local councils to several new publicly-owned regional entities by July 2024. Details of
222-674: A 'donor, recipient relationship' with Pacific Islands nations in favour of forming bilateral partnerships in March 2018. The Government also ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (an amended version of the TPP) in March 2018 and endorsed the UN's Global Compact for Migration in December 2018. In April 2018, Attorney General David Parker announced
333-612: A NZ$ 3.2 billion wage subsidy scheme. Following the discovery of four community COVID-19 cases in Auckland on 11 August, the Government reintroduced national lockdown restrictions, with heightened restrictions for epicentre Auckland. Due to the outbreak, Ardern also delayed the 2020 New Zealand general election from 19 September until 17 October in response to the recent outbreak in COVID-19 community transmissions. In addition,
444-462: A NZ$ 66.3 million fund to support COVID-19 immunisation programme. In terms of education, the Government announced the introduction of climate change education into the school curriculum and gave parents the ability to consent to their children receiving religious instruction in schools. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government announced a NZ$ 87.7 million distance learning package, a NZ$ 130 million tertiary students' support package, and extending
555-457: A coalition government with Labour. That same day, Green Party leader James Shaw announced that his party would give confidence and supply support to the 55-seat Labour–NZ First government. The Greens' support, plus the coalition, resulted in 63 seats to National's 56—enough to ensure that Ardern maintained the confidence of the House. Three years later, Labour went on to a landslide victory in
666-711: A coalition or a confidence and supply agreement. Following prolonged negotiations, the Green Party formed a confidence and supply agreement with the Labour Party on 31 October. Under this governing arrangement, co-leader James Shaw would remain Minister for Climate Change and become Associate Environment Minister while fellow co-leader Marama Davidson would become Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Associate Minister of Housing. During
777-451: A former public service employee. Following his resignation, Kris Faafoi became Minister of Immigration while Andrew Little became Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety , and Carmel Sepuloni became Minister for ACC. On 17 October, Labour won the 2020 general election in a landslide, winning 50% of the vote and 65 seats in the House, the first time under the current MMP system that any party won enough seats to govern without
888-664: A government inquiry into allegations that the New Zealand Special Air Service had committed war crimes against Afghan civilians during Operation Burnham while stationed in Afghanistan . Following the Christchurch mosque shootings on 15 March 2019, Ardern announced that the Government would be reforming New Zealand's gun laws . On 10 April, the Government passed legislation banning semi-automatic firearms, magazines, and parts. In addition,
999-535: A minority coalition government with Labour. Confidence-and-supply support from the Greens, negotiated separately with Labour, enables the Government to have a majority in the House of Representatives. During the coalition-forming negotiations, Labour agreed to drop its proposed water tax on farmers as part of its agreement with New Zealand First. In return, NZ First agreed to drop their demand for referendums on overturning New Zealand's anti-smacking ban and abolishing
1110-673: A nationwide "roadshow" to rally opposition against the Three Waters reforms. They toured 36 cities and towns including Christchurch , Alexandra , and Invercargill . The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission published an opinion piece in May 2020 supporting the reform of service delivery in the three waters sector nationwide. The chief executive advocated consolidation of asset management and service delivery functions from multiple councils into much larger entities. The main benefits would be to capture economies of scale and free up councils from
1221-567: A negative light. In response, the Department of Internal Affairs reaffirmed the Government's commitment to working with local councils on the Three Waters reform programme. In addition, $ 500,000 was set aside by the Government for the development, maintenance, and hosting of the Three Waters reform programme's website. By October 2021, the Advertising Standards Authority had received a total of 48 complaints about
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#17327806671491332-540: A notice of motion that the Invercargill City Council advise the Government that it would not be making any decision on the Three Waters issue until it had consulted the local community. This notice of motion was supported by Mayor of Invercargill Tim Shadbolt . Clark's motion did not pass due to a six-to-six tie. On 9 September, Mayor of Dunedin Aaron Hawkins published an op-ed column in
1443-446: A professional board, with members being appointed based on competency and skill. These boards will still retain the split governance structure consisting of both local council and mana whenua representatives. According to Local Government Minister McAnulty also announced that the entities are expected to start operating from 1 July 2026. On 27 November 2023, the newly-formed National-led coalition government announced that it would scrap
1554-545: A rejection of local democracy in favour of "centralised control." In April, the mayors of the Gore District and the Southland District expressed support for the revised plans announced by government in response to the working group recommendations, including the shareholdings to be allocated to councils. The Mayor of Porirua expressed similar support. The President of Local Government New Zealand supported
1665-429: A result of taxation. However, the total district health board deficit rose to NZ$ 1 billion. The net Crown debt rose by 0.2% from NZ$ 57.5 billion in the 2017-2018 financial year to NZ$ 57.7 billion in 2019. In response, National's Economic development spokesman Todd McClay claimed that the Government was not investing enough money in taxpayers and highlighted declining business confidence. In terms of health policies,
1776-809: A review of the regulation and supply arrangements of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater (three waters). This review ran in parallel with the later stages of the Inquiry into the Havelock North drinking water contamination of 2016. The Three Waters Review was published in January 2019. In 2019, the Sixth Labour Government announced plans for regulatory changes in response to the Three Waters Review, including: The Taumata Arowai–the Water Services Regulator Bill
1887-500: A role in setting strategic direction, but will not be involved in operational matters. On 2 June 2022, Mahuta introduced the Water Services Entities Bill as the first of several new bills to entrench the three water reforms in law. The Water Services Entities Bill would establish the four regional water services entities which would take over management of water infrastructure from the 67 local councils. Under
1998-464: Is Better for Everyone" to promote its Three Waters reform programme. The advertising campaign was criticised by several mayors and local body councillors and officials including Mayor of Waimate Craig Rowley, Mayor of Waitaki Gary Kircher, Tasman District Council engineering services manager Richard Kirby, Councillors Kit Maling, David Ogilvie for alleged sensationalism , inaccuracies, and for portraying local councils' management of water resources in
2109-735: Is envisaged to a next stage where water services are fully 'ring-fenced' from other council services, with charges for ratepayers specifically identifying the water services in their rates. At this stage, councils may share service provision with other councils. The final stage envisaged in the paper is the full transfer of ownership of the water assets to a new entity governed by an independent board of directors, and with specialist employees who would focus on water services. The Government indicated that it would work in partnership with local government to explore options for transitioning councils to new service delivery arrangements, seeking safer, more affordable and reliable three waters services. The first step
2220-641: The Otago Daily Times expressing concerns about the Three Waters programme's financial benefits, local consultation and the lack of safeguards against privatisation. However, Hawkins also objected to some opponents' objections to Māori iwi (tribes) being involved in the decision-making process. In late October, the Government's decision to centralize water utilities and services was criticised by several local councils and mayors including Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff , Mayor of Christchurch Lianne Dalziel , Mayor of Hastings Sandra Hazlehurst, Mayor of
2331-435: The 2020 general election with 50% of the vote and 65 seats, an outright majority of the 120 seats in the House. On 19 January 2023, Ardern announced her resignation and that she would not stand for re-election in the 2023 general election . Hipkins succeeded her as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party on 25 January 2023. Labour lost its majority to the opposition National Party following 2023 general election that
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#17327806671492442-478: The 2023 New Zealand general election . On 19 July 2022, the Government announced that it would give the 67 local councils a total of NZ$ 44 million to help them transition to the new Three Waters system. The Government had already allocated NZ$ 2.5 billion to compensate local councils for the reforms including infrastructure and other "wellbeing" investments. Associate Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty stated that each local council would receive NZ$ 350,000 over
2553-574: The COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 which empowered Police to enter homes to enforce lockdown restrictions without a warrant. On 20 May, the Government released a COVID-19 contact tracing app called the NZ COVID Tracer . By 3 June, the Government had eliminated social distancing restrictions at businesses, public transportation and all public gatherings. To address the economic impact of COVID-19,
2664-490: The Crown Entities Act 2004 to relieve Campbell of his position as head of Te Whatu Ora. Though Campbell had apologised to Luxon and Verrall, the latter had demanded that he resign by 10:30 am on 28 February. Campbell had refused to resign and defended his right to criticise National's Three Waters policy. On 2 March, Environment Minister David Parker removed Campbell from his positions as chair and board member of
2775-660: The End of Life Choice Act 2019 subject to a referendum at the next election and passing the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act . Other notable Government actions in 2019 have included re-entering Pike River Mine , upgrading the New Zealand–China Free Trade Agreement , and apologizing to the victims of the Erebus air disaster . The global Covid-19 pandemic dominated
2886-492: The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in response to Campbell's Three Waters remarks. In April 2021, the mayor of the small Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa expressed concerns that the transfer of the three waters assets from local councils into large regional entities would have serious consequences for local government. In early September, Invercargill's deputy mayor Nobby Clark submitted
2997-687: The Far North District John Carter , Mayor of Dunedin Hawkins, and Mayor of Wellington Andy Foster . In mid-November, the Whangārei District Council , Timaru District Council and Waimakariri District Council launched legal proceedings in the Wellington High Court seeking a judgement about the meaning of council "ownership" of the three waters assets under the planned reforms. By 16 November,
3108-540: The Minister of Local Government Simeon Brown confirmed that the Government would introduce new legislation in 2024 to repeal the Three Waters legislation with the goal of restoring council ownership and control of water assets. Brown reaffirmed the National-led coalition government's commitment to addressing New Zealand's water infrastructural challenges and implementing a new regime that he claimed would "recognise
3219-492: The Māori electorates . The Greens consented to a confidence and supply agreement with Labour and New Zealand First in return for several concessions, including: a referendum on legalising cannabis , treating alcohol and drugs as a health issue, net zero emissions by 2050 and requiring a climate impact assessment analysis for all legislation The Government made several policy announcements in late 2017. In terms of domestic policies,
3330-518: The New Zealand Treasury and Finance Minister Grant Robertson released a report stating that the Government's surplus had increased from NZ$ 2 billion to NZ$ 7.5 billion. The net Government debt had also fallen to 19.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is still short of its self-imposed Budget Responsibility Rules to keep debt at less than 20% of GDP. The total government revenue also increased from NZ$ 6.2 billion to NZ$ 86.5 billion as
3441-655: The Public Service Commission 's policy requiring the directors of Crown entities to remain politically impartial. Campbell defended his remarks, stating that they were made in his capacity as a private citizen and rejected suggestions that he had violated the Commission's political impartiality policy. On 27 February, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins criticised Campbell's Three Waters remarks as "inappropriate." On 28 February, Health Minister Ayesha Verrall used her discretionary powers under section 36 of
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3552-534: The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 in favour of tenants' rights. In terms of immigration policies, the Government scrapped the requirement for African and Middle Eastern refugee applicants to have relatives who were residing in New Zealand and ending a partnership visa policy that discriminated against Indian arranged marriages. Other notable miscellaneous legislation in 2019 have included overturning "blasphemous libel" legislation, passing
3663-611: The Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, opposed US President Donald Trump 's move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and reiterated New Zealand's support for the Two State Solution . In November 2017, Prime Minister Ardern offered to resettle 150 of the asylum seekers from the former Manus Regional Processing Centre in New Zealand, but was rebuffed by Australia's Turnbull Government . On 19 January 2018, Ardern revealed that she
3774-630: The Wairoa District Council and the Napier City Council passed motions to sign "memorandums of understanding" with "partner councils" to oppose the Three Waters reform model. The New Zealand Herald reported that over 30 councils were prepared to sign the MOUs. In mid-December, the "Communities 4 Local Democracy He hapori mō te Manapori” group converged on Parliament and met with politicians to express their opposition to
3885-966: The Auckland CBD with Auckland Airport in Manukau due to disagreements between Labour and NZ First. On 9 March, Ardern appointed Andrew Coster as the new Commissioner of Police , replacing Mike Bush who resigned in April 2020. Two high profile ministerial resignations also occurred that year. On 2 July, Health Minister David Clark resigned from his portfolio after breaching COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Following Clark's resignation, Ardern appointed Chris Hipkins as interim Health Minister. On 22 July, Ardern dismissed Iain Lees-Galloway from his Immigration, Workplace Relations and Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) ministerial portfolios after he admitted having an inappropriate relationship with
3996-720: The Bill due to their opposition to co-governance and centralisation, the Green and Māori parties opposed the Bill on the grounds that it lacked sufficient anti-privatisation safeguards and failed to promote co-governance. Following the passage of the Water Services Entities Act 2022, Mahuta introduced two bills to further entrench the Three Waters reform programme: the Water Services Economic Efficiency and Consumer Protection Bill and
4107-484: The Government abandoned efforts to repeal the Sentencing and Parole Reform Act 2010 (the so-called three-strikes law ) due to opposition from NZ First. In December 2018, the Government announced that it would be holding a binding referendum on legalising the personal use of cannabis during the 2020 general election . On the foreign policy front, Ardern stated that New Zealand would be seeking to shift away from
4218-544: The Government announced plans to merge TVNZ and Radio New Zealand into a new public broadcasting service , invested NZ$ 12 billion transport infrastructural New Zealand Upgrade Programme , NZ$ 300 million into the Aotearoa New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan, and NZ$ 1.9 million into acquiring fog cannons for dairies following a spate of robberies. In late June, the Government abandoned plans to build light rail connecting
4329-576: The Government announced various relief measures including a NZ$ 12.1 billion business package, a NZ$ 56.4 million Māori communities and businesses assistance package, NZ$ 27 million to support social service providers such as the Salvation Army and Women's Refuge, a NZ$ 1.5 billion wage subsidy scheme, a NZ$ 50 million media support package, a NZ$ 23 billion omnibus business support package, and a NZ$ 1.2 billion unemployment relief package. In late March 2020, Finance Minister Grant Robertson confirmed
4440-527: The Government dispatched firefighters, medical personnel, and elements of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and New Zealand Army to assist with firefighting efforts during the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season . In late February, Ardern allocated NZ$ 2 million to Fiji's climate change relocation fund. In early May, Ardern met with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and several Australian state and territorial leaders to discuss
4551-863: The Government imposed isolation requirements on foreign travellers, which was followed by a strict border closure on 19 March. On 21 March, Ardern introduced a COVID-19 alert level system after COVID-19 cases rose to 52. On 25 March, the COVID-19 alert system was raised to Level 4, leading to the closure of schools and most businesses with the exception of essential services such as supermarkets, petrol stations and health providers. To comply with lockdown policies, Parliament adjourned for five weeks commencing 27 March. Prior to Parliament's closure, it passed three bills with cross-party support dealing with emergency spending, remitting interest on tax owed after 14 February, allowing local authorities to meet remotely, governments to take over schools, and suspending no-cause evictions and rent increases for six months. On 25 March, it
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4662-786: The Government introduced legislation restoring the voting rights of prisoners serving less than three years imprisonment and banning foreign donations over NZ$ 50. In terms of fiscal policies, the Government ruled out a capital gains tax . Key priorities of the 2019 New Zealand budget included creating a new frontline mental health service, investing $ 40 million in suicide prevention services, stationing nurses at secondary schools, building 1,044 new homes, investing $ 320 million into specialist services to address family and sexual violence, investing $ 200 million into apprenticeships and vocational training programs, investing $ 1 billion into KiwiRail , and investing $ 1.7 billion and $ 1.2 billion into repairing hospitals and schools respectively. In October 2019
4773-439: The Government ordered 12 new radiation machines, invested NZ$ 60 million into Pharmac as part of a ten-year cancer action plan and created a Cancer Control Agency and Suicide Prevention Office . The Government also responded to a national measles outbreak by creating a National Health Coordination Centre. In terms of housing policies, Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phil Twyford admitted in January 2019 that
4884-448: The Government passed legislation which eliminated rental bidding and "no-cause" evictions, raised the period of rent increases to 12 months and allowed victims of domestic violence to end a tenancy within two days' notice. In terms of immigration policies, the Government extended temporary work visas due to travel restrictions and introduced fees for travellers quarantining at managed isolation and quarantine facilities. In other areas,
4995-400: The Government reaffirmed its commitment to re-entering Pike River Mine by March 2019, scrapped National Standards in schools, released a mini-budget funded by cancelling National's tax cuts and created a Tax Working Group to reform New Zealand's taxation system and alleviate the country's housing crisis. In terms of foreign policies, the Government continued New Zealand's participation in
5106-567: The Government would be raising the minimum wage to NZ$ 18.90 an hour from April 2020, a $ 1.20 increase from $ 17.70. In terms of education policies, the Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced plans to merge the country's sixteen polytechnics into a " NZ Institute of Skills and Technology " by April 2020 in response to deficits and falling domestic enrolments. In May 2019, the Government invested NZ$ 95 million into teacher training programmes and scholarships over
5217-410: The Government would continue with the Three Waters reforms, arguing that disasters such as the 2023 North Island floods demonstrated the limits of infrastructure and the need for reform. However, he stated that the Government would be considering whether some of the Three Waters changes would be fit for purpose. Hipkins confirmed that Cabinet had asked McAnulty to consult with local government, Māori and
5328-407: The Government's attention and priorities for much of 2020. In late January, the Government chartered an Air New Zealand aircraft to assist in evacuating New Zealand, Australian, and Pacific Island nationals from Wuhan . On 2 February, temporary travel bans were imposed on COVID-hit countries like China and Iran. New Zealand's first COVID-19 case was confirmed on 28 February 2020. On 14 March,
5439-789: The Government's $ 20 billion Defence Capability Plan 2019, which aimed to boost the Defence Force's capabilities, equipment and manpower over the next 11 years. In terms of economic development, the Government allocated NZ$ 100 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to supporting Māori economic development, NZ$ 27 million to improving transportation and the horticulture sector around Kaipara District and NZ$ 20 million to rebuding Hillside Engineering in South Dunedin . In terms of employment policy, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway announced that
5550-478: The Government's Three Water reforms. Despite its stated opposition to the Three Waters reforms, the Taupō District Council applied for NZ$ 4.93 million in funding from the Government for an upgrade to Owen Delany Park. These funds come from the Government's Better Off Funding programme, which supports local government transition through the Three Waters reforms. Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas justified
5661-598: The Invercargill City Council to reconsider its decision not to join the lobby group. On 4 July, the Southland District Council confirmed that it would oppose the Government's Three Water reforms and seek to retain control over its water assets. On 6 July, the Wellington City Council voted against joining the anti-Three Waters Communities 4 Local Democracy. However, Mayor Andy Foster used his casting vote to express his disagreement with
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#17327806671495772-884: The Labour Party Leader of the Opposition Prime Minister General elections Ministerial career Leader of the Labour Party Prime Minister Leader of the Opposition General elections The Sixth Labour Government governed New Zealand from 26 October 2017 to 27 November 2023. It was headed first by Jacinda Ardern (October 2017–January 2023) and later by Chris Hipkins (January 2023–November 2023), as Labour Party leader and prime minister . On 1 August 2017, Ardern succeeded Andrew Little as both leader of
5883-609: The Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition . Following the 2017 general election held on 23 September, the New Zealand First party held the balance of power between the sitting centre-right National Party government, and the left bloc of the Labour and Green parties. Following negotiations with the two major parties, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters announced on 19 October 2017 that his party would form
5994-636: The National-led government passed the Water Services Acts Repeal Act 2024 under urgency, repealing Labour's various Three Waters laws. The repeal bill was supported by the National, ACT and New Zealand First parties but was opposed by the Labour, Green parties, and Te Pāti Māori . During the third reading, Labour MP Willie Jackson claimed that former Local Government Minister and Three Waters architect Nanaia Mahuta had been subject to intense racist vilification. Similar criticism
6105-472: The Otago and Southland regions commenced the development of a business case for a collaborative approach to managing the three waters assets. The business case was expected to take about eight months and would be followed by public consultation. The Government agreed to cover half of the cost, with a deadline for councils to consider changes to service delivery models by the end of 2021. The ten councils involved in
6216-469: The Three Water reforms. Similarly, The Spinoff 's survey of 66 elected mayors found that 43 mayors were opposed to the Three Waters reforms, 14 were undecided, and that nine supported them. During the 2022 Auckland mayoral election , mayoral candidate Wayne Brown campaigned on halting the Three Water reforms programme in Auckland. Following his election as Mayor of Auckland , Brown instructed
6327-479: The Three Waters programme, claiming that it was part of a "tsunami" of unworkable government regulations and alleging that it was the theft of the assets of council ratepayers. In December 2021, the group sponsored a petition calling for the Three Waters programme to be scrapped, which attracted 3,000 signatures by 15 December. In June 2022, the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union and Groundswell organised
6438-558: The Three Waters programme. The group represented 23 mayors and local councils including Manawatū District Council Mayor Helen Worboys, the Christchurch City Council , and the Waimate District Council . The delegation met with representatives from various political parties, including the governing Labour and National parties. The "Communities 4 Local Democracy" group had emerged in response to
6549-466: The Three Waters reform programme. On 9 December 2021, the Government postponed until 2022, the introduction of legislation creating the new entities that would manage the Three Waters systems. The Government confirmed that it would wait until the working group had finished their findings, before introducing the new legislation. In mid-December, Mahuta argued that the Three Waters reform should proceed, despite opposition from several local governments, due to
6660-439: The Three Waters reform programme. The watchdog ruled that the advertisements were neither misleading or offensive in the context of advocacy advertising. On 27 October 2021, Mahuta unveiled the Government's Three Waters reform programme. The plan involves the mandatory transfer of the management of stormwater, drinking water and wastewater from the country's 67 local councils and territorial bodies to four new water entities, with
6771-590: The Three Waters reforms as part of its plans to repeal several of the previous Labour Government's policies. The Government's announcement was welcomed by Mayor of Manawatu and co-chair of the Communities 4 Local Democracy group Helen Worboys and Mayor of Hastings Sandra Hazlehurst , who welcomed the Governments "stop work" order on transition activities and said that the water reforms were unaffordable for local councils respectively. On 14 December 2023,
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#17327806671496882-551: The Water Services Entities Bill under urgency to compensate for the loss of a week's worth of parliamentary sitting time caused by Queen Elizabeth II 's death on 9 September 2022. The Bill passed its third and final reading on 7 December. Labour was able to pass the Bill without the support of other parties due to its majority status in the House, an unprecedented occurrence in New Zealand since MMP came into force. While National and ACT parties opposed
6993-500: The Water Services Legislation Bill, which passed their first readings on 13 December 2022. The Water Services Legislation Bill included 130 pages of amendments to the Water Services Entities Act. The new legislation includes provisions for charging for water services, institutes a system of fines for breaching water restrictions and disconnecting from stormwater systems, facilitate information-sharing between
7104-636: The Water Services Reform Programme: the Water Services Economic Efficiency and Consumer Protection Act 2023 and Water Services Legislation Act 2023. The first bill sets up an economic regulation regime overseen by the Commerce Commission as a watchdog over the water services entities' quality and efficiency, and mandates information disclosures. While the Economic Efficiency and Consumer Protection Act
7215-735: The aim of improving infrastructure, services, and social and health outcomes. On 17 May, Finance Minister Grant Robertson released the 2018 New Zealand budget , allocating NZ$ 2.8 billion in operational funding and NZ$ 3.8 billion in capital funding. In October 2018, the Government formally established a new government department called the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to manage housing and urban development issues. The Government also passed legislation banning future oil and gas exploration , banning most non-residents from buying New Zealand homes and allowing terminally ill patients to use marijuana for palliative care . In June 2018,
7326-412: The announcement, Mahuta also created a working group to advise the Government on how the four water entities' governance would work. According to Mahuta, the group's findings would be placed into a supplementary order paper (SOP) to amend legislation creating the new entities that would manage the three waters systems. Despite its unpopularity with local councils and the public, the Government persisted with
7437-512: The city council; citing a breakdown in their relationship. On 29 March, the DCC voted by a margin of seven to six to reverse their earlier decision to join "Communities 4 Local Democracy." Supporters including Mayor Hawkins argued that joining the pressure group adversely affected the Council's relations with local Māori while opponents like Councillor Lee Vandervis criticised the Council's reversal as
7548-599: The current situation (in most regions), where individual councils supply and manage water systems and services alongside their other duties. There was specific reference to Wellington Water (which manages the water assets of six councils) as an example of one approach to service delivery that had successfully built capability through the scale of operations. However, the paper also noted that Wellington Water currently has no ability to make trade-offs between operating and capital expenditure, nor can it cross-subsidise between owners or ratepayers in different districts. A transition
7659-634: The development of a trans-Tasman COVID-safe travel zone. In late July, Ardern and Foreign Minister Peters announced that New Zealand would suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to the Chinese Government's Hong Kong national security law introduced earlier that month. In terms of health policies, the Government passed legislation decriminalising abortion , allocated significant public funding to purchasing personal protective equipment, ventilators and respiratory equipment, and supporting drugs and medicines purchasing agency Pharmac , close contact tracing and immunisation. In terms of housing,
7770-477: The dissolution of Parliament was pushed back to 6 September. While the Government's second lockdowns were supported by Cabinet, NZ First leader Winston Peters and ACT leader David Seymour regarded them as unnecessary and economically damaging. Lockdown restrictions were eased on 21 September, with limits on public gatherings. On 12 October 2020, the Government signed an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech to purchase 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccines and established
7881-439: The domestic front, the Labour-led coalition government implemented several policies and new laws. In terms of education, the Government introduced legislation to stop the creation of new charter schools while allowing allowing the 11 existing schools to transition to "special character" schools. The Government also launched several transportation, homelessness, family relief, emergency response and health plans and programmes with
7992-486: The funding application on the grounds that the Park upgrade would benefit the community. Following the release of 2022 New Zealand local elections results in early October 2022, surveys by online media organisations Newsroom and The Spinoff found that a majority of elected mayors opposed the Three Waters reforms. Newsroom 's survey of 220 newly-elected mayors and councillors found that 76% of respondents opposed
8103-450: The goal of improving the quality and lowering the cost of water utilities. The Government planned to start creating these four new entities in late 2021, and they would assume control of water utilities in July 2024. Though the Government had initially stated that the Three Waters programme would be optional for local government bodies, they subsequently decided to mandate in July 2021. During
8214-557: The government announced an amnesty and buy-back scheme for prohibited firearms and components. Ardern also proposed legislation creating a national firearms register, tighter firearms restrictions and a ban on overseas visitors buying firearms in New Zealand. On 27 June 2019, Ardern announced a cabinet reshuffle . She split the housing portfolio into three positions; appointing Megan Woods as Minister of Housing, Kris Faafoi as Associate Minister of Housing, and Phil Twyford as Minister of Urban Development. In addition, Grant Robertson
8325-453: The government was negotiating with banks to ensure that nobody would lose their homes as a result of defaulting on mortgage payments during the pandemic. In mid-April, Ardern and National Party leader Simon Bridges confirmed that several ministers and MPs would take a 20 percent pay cut. The 2020 budget released on 18 June had a large focus on COVID-19 relief, with key provisions including a NZ$ 50 billion COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund and
8436-447: The government would be unable to meet its target of building 1,000 KiwiBuild homes by 1 July, with only 33 homes being built as of 23 January. The minister estimated that the government would be able to build only 300 houses by the 1 July deadline. In early September, Housing Minister Megan Woods announced that the Government would be revising its KiwiBuild programme, including scrapping its initial target of building 100,000 houses over
8547-612: The group since its rules would have required Dunedin residents to fund what he regarded as a futile legal action. On 23 February 2022, the Dunedin City Council voted to join "Communities 4 Local Democracy" by a margin of eight to seven. By that time, the number of local authorities involved in the advocacy group had risen to 28. In response to the DCC's decision to join "Communities 4 Local Democracy," two local Māori runanga (tribal councils) Kati Huirapa ki Puketeraki and Te Runanga o Otakou withdrew from their partnership with
8658-513: The importance of local decision making" and give flexibility to local communities and councils. On 21 December 2023, Newsroom reported that a letter from Brown to councils confirmed that Government planned to finance water and wastewater infrastructure by a new type of financially separate council-owned organisation. Instead of the ten proposed water service entities, local councils would be responsible for complying with water regulation rules and water infrastructural investment. On 14 February 2024,
8769-477: The incoming Chris Hipkins had announced a cabinet reshuffle on 31 January 2023. Hipkins stated that the change was intended to allow Mahuta to focus on her foreign affairs portfolio but denied that it was motivated by controversy around the Three Waters programme. He also confirmed that the Labour Government would continue implementing the Three Waters reforms. On 8 February, Hipkins reiterated that
8880-573: The investigation were Dunedin City Council , Central Otago District Council , Clutha District Council , Queenstown Lakes District Council , Waitaki District Council , Otago Regional Council , Gore District Council , Invercargill City Council , Southland District Council and Environment Southland . In late June 2021, the New Zealand Government launched a NZ$ 3.5 million multimedia advertising campaign called "Better Water
8991-547: The local government advocacy body Local Government New Zealand not reflecting the views of their membership on the issue. However, the Communities group did not include any councils from Otago and Southland. The Invercargill City Council had voted against joining the group due to the $ 15,000 contribution fee. Dunedin Mayor Hawkins said incorrectly that the Dunedin City Council (DCC) had declined to join
9102-531: The members of the boards of the four water entities, based on skill and competence. In April 2023, the Government announced a major overhaul of the Three Waters programme, renaming it the Water Services Reform Programme. The proposed four water services entities were expanded into ten entities. These entities will still retain the split governance structure consisting of both local council and mana whenua representatives. In late 2023,
9213-400: The need for change and the certainty provided by the government's announcements. However, the mayor of Auckland, although supporting much of the reforms, complained that Auckland was being disadvantaged and losing control of its water assets, because of the failure of other local bodies. In early July, Waimakariri District Mayor and Communities 4 Local Democracy deputy chair Dan Gordon urged
9324-476: The new water entities, with one share per 50,000 of population, and that there would be additional legislative protection against future privatisation. Co-governance will be established in regional representative groups, where there will be an equal number of seats for mana whenua and councils. These regional oversight groups will appoint the members of the boards of the four water entities, based on skill and competence. The regional representative groups will have
9435-516: The newly-formed National-led coalition Government confirmed that it would repeal the Three Waters legislative framework in favour of a new regime that would favour local council control and ownership of water assets and infrastructure. On 14 February 2024, the National-led government passed urgent legislation repealing the previous Labour Government's Three Waters legislation. In mid 2017, the Fifth National Government launched
9546-403: The next 12 months. The opposition National and ACT parties' local government spokespersons Simon Watts and Simon Court described the funding as a "bribe" and a waster of taxpayer money. On 1 February 2023, Kieran McAnulty succeeded Mahuta as Minister of Local Government , which oversees the Three Waters reform programme. After succeeding Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister in late January,
9657-544: The next four years in order to address the teacher shortage. In August 2019, the Government proceeded to replace 11 industrial training organisations with several workforce development councils. Other notable education policies have included launching a trial free lunch programme, expanding the teaching of New Zealand history (particularly the Treaty of Waitangi and Māori history) in schools, and investing NZ$ 400 million in school property upgrades. In terms of electoral law,
9768-625: The next years. In mid August 2019, the Associate Housing Minister Kris Faafoi and Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced that the Government would be launching a NZ$ 54 million program to tackle homelessness in New Zealand by hiring more staff to work with homeless people and investing $ 16 million in the Sustaining Tenancies Programme. In November 2019, Associate Housing Minister Kris Faafoi confirmed plans to amend
9879-410: The number of water services entities from four to ten, and delayed the start of the entities from 2024 to 2026. While the Labour and Green parties supported the bill, it was opposed by the National, ACT and Māori parties. National and ACT have vowed to repeal the entire Three Waters reforms while retaining the water regulator Taumata Arowai. On 23 August, the Government passed two final bills entrenching
9990-409: The proposed law, councils would retain ownership of their water assets through a "community share" arrangement but effective control would pass to the four new water services entities, which would have both community and Māori iwi/tribal representation. Mahuta also claimed that there would be safeguards against privatisation. Mahuta also confirmed that further legislation would be introduced to facilitate
10101-462: The proposed reforms were announced in October 2021. The Three Waters reforms were criticised by several mayors and the opposition National and ACT parties. From November 2021, a working group of mayors and Māori representatives reviewed issues of representation, governance and accountability, and reported back in March 2022 with 47 recommendations. In April 2022, the government accepted 44 of
10212-433: The public and report back on options for "refocusing the reforms." On 13 April 2023, the Government announced a major overhaul of the programme, renaming it the Water Services Reform Programme. The proposed four water services entities were expanded into ten entities. These entities be owned by local councils on behalf of the public, and their boundaries will be based on existing regional boundaries. Each entity will be run by
10323-429: The recommendations. Key changes to the original proposals included providing non-financial shareholdings for councils in the four new water entities, and increased legislative protection against future privatisation of the water assets. Regional representative groups would be established as part of the governance structure, with equal representation of council and tangata whenua . These representative groups would appoint
10434-402: The region's water management company Watercare to stop working on the programme on 17 October, describing it as a "doomed proposal". In addition, other newly-elected mayors including Mayor of Invercargill Nobby Clark and Mayor of Nelson Nick Smith have expressed opposition to Three Waters. Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand Leader of
10545-486: The right to vote for prisoners serving sentences of less than three years and abolishing the Electoral Commission 's power to remove voters from the electoral roll. In terms of firearms policy, the Government passed legislation establishing a new firearms licensing entity and allowing farms and agrarian businesses to apply for firearms endorsements for pest control purposes. In terms of foreign policies,
10656-574: The school lunch programme. On 13 May, Education Minister Hipkins moved the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) high school exams from 6 November to 16 November. In June, the Government launched a NZ$ 2.6 million trial initiative to combat " period poverty " by distributing sanitary products in 15 Waikato high schools. In terms of electoral law, the Government coalition parties passed legislation in June 2020 restoring
10767-435: The specialist technical requirements of managing utility services. In late February 2023, Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) chair Rob Campbell criticised National's proposal to scrap Three Waters in a LinkedIn post and accused Luxon of "dog whistling" on the issue of co-governance. Campbell's remarks were criticised by several National and ACT MPs including Simeon Brown and David Seymour , who accused him of breaching
10878-403: The three most contentious aspects of the original proposal: representation, governance and accountability. The working group reported back in March 2022, with 47 recommendations. On 29 April 2022, Mahuta announced that the Government had accepted 44 of the recommendations, with three that needed some further work. One of the key changes was that councils would be given non-financial shareholdings in
10989-573: The three waters services nationwide. The Cabinet paper referred to two key challenges facing New Zealand's three waters service delivery: affordability and capability. The paper referred to the cumulative effect of increasing capital and operating costs to meet infrastructure challenges, and constrained sector capability to address key public health and environmental challenges. It noted that these challenges are particularly acute for smaller council and non-council drinking water suppliers, with smaller ratepayer and consumer funding bases. The paper described
11100-497: The transfer of assets and liabilities from local authorities to the Water Services Entities, integrate entities into other regulatory systems, and to cover economic regulation of the water services entities and ensure consumer protection . A National Transition Unit would oversee the establishment of the new water services entities over the next two years. On 23 November 2022, the Labour Government decided to push
11211-468: The under-investment in the country's water infrastructure. Mahuta also urged party leaders to prevent the privatisation of New Zealand's water assets, entrenching a safeguard requiring a supermajority of 75% of MP's support before a water asset could be sold. A working group of mayors and Māori representatives was formed in November 2021, to review the planned reform programme, focussing on improvements in
11322-513: The water entities and councils, facilitates cooperation between the water services entities and mana whenua , clarifies the ownership of stormwater systems beneath roads, and outlines what rights the water services entities when working on different kinds of land including roads, railways, and marae . On 16 August 2023, the Water Services Entities Amendment Act 2023 passed its third reading. The bill increased
11433-544: The withdrawal of New Zealand forces in Iraq by June 2020. The New Zealand Defence Force 's non-combat Building Partner Capacity (BPC) training mission had been training Iraqi Security Forces in support of the US-led coalition efforts to combat Islamic State forces in Iraq . In June 2019, the New Zealand military deployment in Afghanistan was extended for another 18 months. In June 2019, Defence Minister Ron Mark unveiled
11544-562: Was announced that Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges would chair a cross-party committee called the Epidemic Response Committee to scrutinise the government's response to COVID-19. Due to declining transmission rates, COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were eased between 28 April and 25 May, allowing more businesses, schools and public gatherings to reopen. On 13 May, the Government passed
11655-485: Was appointed as Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission; Jenny Salesa as Minister of Customs ; and Peeni Henare became Minister of Civil Defence . In addition, several Labour Members of Parliament were appointed to various parliamentary positions including assistant speaker, senior government whip, and parliamentary private secretaries. In terms of defence policy, the Government announced
11766-790: Was echoed by Labour's Local Government spokesperson McAnulty, who claimed that the repeal of Three Waters would lead to a rise in local councils' rates and debt. Local Government Minister Brown confirmed that the Government would introduce two new laws between 2024 and 2025 to roll out its own " Local Water Done Well " programme, which he claimed would give local communities and councils greater control over their water services and infrastructure. The National-led government also announced that same week that these new laws would allow local councils to voluntarily form their own water services groupings and council-controlled organisations similar to Wellington Water and Auckland's Watercare Services . The farming advocacy group Groundswell NZ has voiced opposition to
11877-464: Was expecting her first child in June, and that Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters would serve as Acting Prime Minister while she took maternity leave for a period of six weeks. In June 2018, she temporarily relinquished her duties to Winston Peters , following the birth of her child, for a period of six weeks. Peters became Acting Prime Minister on 20 June 2018, when Ardern went into labour. Her six-week maternity leave concluded on 2 August 2018. On
11988-545: Was held on 14 October 2023. The Government remained in a caretaker capacity until the new National–led coalition government was sworn in on 27 November 2023. The general election on 23 September 2017 saw the New Zealand First party hold the balance of power between National and the centre-left bloc of Labour and the Green Party . Following several weeks of negotiations with both National and Labour, New Zealand First announced on 19 October 2017 it would form
12099-550: Was introduced to Parliament on 12 December 2019. The Government indicated a separate Water Services bill would be proposed at a later date to give effect to decisions to implement system-wide reforms to the regulation of drinking water and source water, and targeted reforms to improve the regulation and performance of wastewater and stormwater networks. On 28 January 2020, Nanaia Mahuta , the Minister of Local Government , released Cabinet papers and minutes setting out intentions for reform of service delivery and funding arrangements for
12210-451: Was supported by the Labour and Green parties, it was opposed by the National, ACT, and Māori parties. The second bill outlines the duties, functions, and powers of the new water services entities that would come into effect in 2026. The Water Services Legislation Bill was passed with the sole support of the Labour Party. National and ACT have opposed the water services reform programme and vowed to repeal them if elected into government following
12321-636: Was to support the investigation of opportunities within regions for collaborative approaches to water service delivery. As an initial step towards implementing the proposed reforms, on 27 January 2020 the Government announced funding of $ 1.55m for an investigation of opportunities for greater coordination in three waters service delivery across the Hawke's Bay region , involving five councils: Napier City Council , Hastings District Council , Central Hawke's Bay District Council , Wairoa District Council and Hawke's Bay Regional Council . In May 2020, ten councils in
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