Hello Sue,

In my opinion it is very important that the ownership of water is not privatised.  Water is a resource managed for the whole community.  Urban water supplies are managed by Tasman District Council on behalf of the comminuty.  Council sub-contracts the consultancy and operations and maintenance of water to private service providers.  However the menagement of the resource and urban water infrastructure is carried out by the Council, therefore ensuring it is controlled by local elected representatives, the Council.  I support this approach as I think it gives a good connection between the service delivery and public control.

It is my view that the management of water in Tasman is also managed very well.  There is very effective collaboration between interested parties in meeting some of our challenges, the most significant being the way the Council has worked with the Waimea Water Augmentation Committee to investigate the contruction of a dam to augment the water supply in the Waimea Basin which is water short in most summers.