Amalgamation - Has UH Gone Past It

Michael from Trentham

I have been a strong advocate for amalgamating local Government in the Wellington region. So much so that I was part of a small team of advocates some years ago under the chairmanship of Kerry Prendergast.

But pipes for water and sewerage are now such a huge issue for Wellington and Lower Hutt in particular and somewhat in Porirua. So much so that Upper Hutt would be foolish to want to amalgamate and help carry the burden of the billions of dollars required to bring the piping up to the reasonable standard enjoyed by Upper Hutt residents.

Perhaps there is a way around it. Central Government might want to step in and provide taxation dollars to fix the problem that sees a wastage of upwards of 50% of water from burst and leaking water pipes and sewerage piping also leaking and contaminating streams which flow into the sea. And thus "pave the way" for a level playing field for ratepayers and the local councils in the region to join forces under one umbrella, one city.