Subcommittees provide ratepayer voice on infrastructure

Waikato Regional Council is setting up stakeholder committees for its flood protection and land drainage schemes in the lower Waikato catchment and Waihou-Piako catchments.

Following the June meeting, council chair Pamela Storey said there had been a lot of community interest in reinstating committees for these areas after the council identified this as an area for consideration during the initial adoption of its governance structure and terms of reference.

The subcommittees are different to those set up during the 2019-2022 triennium, in that they bring together flood protection and drainage.

“This is what the constituent councillors also wanted for their catchments, and it’s a way of ensuring targeted ratepayers have a voice in the decisions around the infrastructure that protects them and which they pay for,” said Cr Storey.

Integrated Catchment Management Committee chair Robert Cookson said: “The Waihou-Piako and Lower Waikato zones have huge areas that are drained and have flood protection assets, and the landowners pay for a large chunk of these schemes through targeted rates.

“It’s also a great way to raise community awareness of the schemes and better enables the flow of information, both of community knowledge and experience and council’s work programme planning, budgeting and delivery.”  

The subcommittees will be responsible for providing local community advice in relation to the schemes and may make recommendations to the Integrated Catchment Management Committee.

Each subcommittee will include the Integrated Catchment Management Committee chair and deputy chair, a constituent councillor, targeted ratepayers, iwi and other relevant stakeholders.

Appointments will be made by the Integrated Catchment Management Committee following an expressions of interest process expected to occur in the coming weeks.

The June meeting of council was livestreamed. You can view it here: https://www.youtube.com/live/HI1kI03oVYg