Clipping the wet ticket

One news story caught my eye (SSTimes) over the weekend that should make anyone sit up and take notice.

"Free water to New Zealand homes could dry up if a major water lobby group gets its way.

In a policy document to be released this week, Water New Zealand argues that more of the country's local authorities should be charging for water, a move that they say would slash demand, reduce costs for councils and benefit the environment."

If you haven't heard of "Water New Zealand", it's probably about time you had a look. They want to ration your water on price (and make money while doing it). Their Board is made up of people who appear to have backgrounds in infrastructure for profit.

I'm no enemy of profit or genuine entrepreneurial activity. But I don't think a grab for control of a public resource is even remotely entrepreneurial. It's the same old clip-the-ticket monopoly behaviour we know from the past.

Water New Zealand's web site is full of interesting and worthy stuff. Publications. Standards. Codes of practice. You can nominate an environmental champion. All the 'best practice' gloss is there and there is no small amount of greenwash.

But underneath it all is a desire to control and profit from everything to do with water.

Remember the monopoly import licences that used to be awarded to cronies? Allowing this group and the companies they represent to take control of public water resources and charge us through the nose for it (using infrastructure we paid for) would be a return to those days. Make no mistake, they won't bring $5 to the table. Any money they "invest" would be borrowed and we'd all pay the interest AND the princicipal AND a healthy profit, too.

Water New Zealand claim what they propose is good for the environment, lowers costs to councils and reduces demand for water. Clearly, they aren't pitching to the average Kiwi. They are pitching to the National Party and to the ACT Party Minister for Local Government, Rodney Hide. ACT's policy on water is to offer it on a fully commercial basis.

Soory foks, but water is too important to remove from the realm of public accountability. We've already seen - globally - how greedy cheats stuff their pockets with shareholders' and stakeholders' cash.....even AFTER they drove their businesses into the ground.

The water industry has made their move. They want control of a monopoly resource so they can clip the ticket and ration your water. Let's see what the government now does. Kiwis would be insane to allow these of people anywhere near control of their water. I would hope National be less than a one-term government over this issue alone if they moved to support Water NZ's proposals.