Jules Radich said he supported nationwide water regulation, but administration should be done at an Otago-Southland level, instead of through an entity covering much of the South Island.
Local ownership of assets should be unequivocally retained.
The ownership model promoted by the Government was complex and the proposed water services entity would dilute local involvement, he said.
Mr Radich’s comments came after the new mayors of Auckland and Christchurch, Wayne Brown and Phil Mauger, promoted what they called a consensus plan to improve water management in New Zealand.
It would involve local government entities being encouraged to form regional water organisations, which would have access to finance through a water infrastructure fund.
Arrangements between Three Waters asset owners and mana whenua would be co-designed locally.
The mayors’ plan was backed by Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon, who was deputy chairman of a group of councils in the past term that challenged the Government’s agenda.
Mr Radich said it was a helpful pronouncement from the three mayors, although central government remained in the driver’s seat for determining the future structure of Three Waters.
Contentious aspects of the Government’s reform programme have included co-governance provisions with iwi and diminished local influence.
The Government has argued its programme would enable much-needed investment to proceed in an affordable way.
Mr Radich said the benefits of economies of scale could be largely preserved if administration was carried out on a natural catchment basis in the South Island.
Dunedin could be covered by an Otago-Southland catchment, he said.
The Dunedin City Council decided in the past term it was fundamentally opposed to the Government’s service delivery model.
