11 August 2022
Prior to the closing date 22 July 2022, 88,324 individual New Zealand citizens made submissions on the Water Services Entities Bill (Three Waters) of which 65,091 were made via the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union online submission tool and of those, 8,634 submitters indicated they also wished to make oral submissions to the select committee.
John Ryan, the New Zealand Controller and Auditor-General recently wrote to Parliament saying in part “ the Government’s legislation for Three Waters reform risks removing important checks and balances, allowing the new water entities to operate without proper public accountability.” He was on the button in alluding to a lack of proper public accountability.
Rejigit understands that the Finance & Expenditure select committee have now advised that because they deem the means by which the NZ Taxpayers’ Union facilitated the filing of submissions were “form submissions” as opposed to “unique submissions”, the select committee would disregard all of the said submissions.
The 65,091 New Zealanders who exercised their democratic right to make submissions have every right to be outraged by the arbitrary and discriminatory attitude of the select committee and they should let the committee know, Big Time!
The chairperson of the Finance & Expenditure select committee is Barbara Edmonds, Labour MP for Mana. The Clerk of Committee, Finance & Expenditure committee is Mary Drakeford.
The eleven current members of the Finance & Expenditure select committee are;
Barbara Edmonds (Labour) barbara.edmonds@parliament.govt.nz
Greg O’Connor (Labour) greg.oconnor@parliament.govt.nz
Glen Bennett (Labour) glen.bennett@parliament.govt.nz
Ingrid Leary (Labour) ingrid.leary@parliament.govt.nz
Anna Lorck (Labour) anna.lorck@parliament.govt.nz
Helen White (Labour) helen.white@parliament.govt.nz
Chlöe Swarbrick (Green) chloe.swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz
Damien Smith (ACT) damien.smith@parliament.govt.nz
Nicola Willis (National) nicola.willis@parliament.govt.nz
Simon Watts (National) simon.watts@parliamnet.govt.nz
Andrew Bayly (National) andrew.bayly@parliament.govt.nz