The Mayors of Auckland and Timaru aren't happy with three waters reform and have come out against the government's plan to move forward with reforms.
The government is pushing ahead with plans to set up four regional bodies to manage drinking, waste and stormwater infrastructure and services.
Timaru's Mayor Nigel Bowen told Morning Report he's worried smaller rural councils will struggle with water responsibilities taken away from them
"With a smaller council, or probably even smaller than ours, they might have one person managing infrastructure, which would be roading and three waters infrastructure, so is that person going to be viable? Moving forward, are the smaller councils even going to be viable?"
Bowen thinks in light of that, there needs to be a wider discussion about the future of local government.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said while there are advantages in scale his city already serves a third of the country's population and would not benefit from amalgamation.
What we're opposed to absolutely, is the removal of democratic accountability from the water services entity that the people of Auckland have always had through their elected representatives over the assets that they have built up over generations.
"This model means that effectively 28 percent of the assets of the people of Auckland held by council go to a new entity which Aucklanders no longer control."
