media release for Liz Koh, Kapiti Mayoral Candidate

Council reviews its Long Term Plan every three years and a new Long Term Plan will be approved in June 2027. Mayoral candidate Liz Koh says Council will be required to throw out the current Long Term Plan and start afresh because of a major change that will occur in 2027.

Last week, Council signed off on its Water Services Delivery Plan for Kapiti which will be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs for approval.

‘This is a game changer for Council” says Ms Koh. Under the new regulations, Three Waters services (drinking water, waste water and storm water) will be ring fenced in an internal business unit will all costs, revenues and capital expenditure for Three Waters kept separate from other Council business. Three Waters services will be rated separately from other services and will have its own Long Term Plan.

“This means that Council needs to pull apart its finances to separate out Three Waters and prepare a completely new Long Term Plan. This will require extensive community consultation.

“I am looking forward to the challenge of working with the community to prepare the new Long Term Plan” says Ms Koh. “The fcocus will be on cost-cutting, finding ways to bring in other sources of revenue, debt reduction and the future financial sustainability of our asset management programme for core infrastructure”

“We will need to start this process in mid 2026,” says Ms Koh, “as there is a lot to do before we can sign off the new Long Term Plan in June 2027. I’m a strong leader with excellent financial management skills and I’ll absolutely do my best to get an outcome that is in the best interests of the community” says Ms Koh.

Readers should view her Concerned Ratepayers Kapiti questionnaire response, where she pretty much endorses every choice that results in 115% rates rises to 2034, and ask themselves “what change would she actually bring, if elected as Mayor?”

Kathryn of our editorial group comments:

Someone should point out to Liz Koh that ‘Three Waters’ was the title for the Labour Government’s changes to water services delivery, which is now defunct. And what the Council has just signed off is their plan to implement ‘Local Water Done Well’ — introduced in legislation in 2024!

Her continued use of the term ‘Three Waters’ is obsolete, or perhaps it’s a Freudian slip indicating that she (and KCDC) are just sitting waiting and hoping that Labour will get in again next year and re-instate ‘Three Waters’?