We're emailing to update you on our fight against the Government’s Three Waters asset grab, which will leave local communities without a say over the water infrastructure they have paid for and built up over generations.

Register for our upcoming Three Waters public events by going to www.itsyourwater.nz and sending a message to your councillors.‍

Our first events are:

• Gore - 1pm, 8 June, Gore Town & Country Club, 2 Bury Street
• Balclutha - 7pm, 8 June, South Otago Town & Country Club, 1 Yarmouth Street
• Invercargill - 7pm, 9 June, Invercargill Workingmen's Club, 154 Esk Street

We are pleased to announce that former broadcaster and new Taxpayers' Union board member, Peter Williams, will be speaking at these events.

More events are planned across the country in the coming weeks. We will email you to let you know when we're holding an event in your area, but only if you've used our website at www.itsyourwater.nz.

Groundswell NZ has made it easy for you to tell your local councillors to publicly oppose Three Waters and hold a local referendum.‍

Our consistent position has been that no ratepayer assets should change hands without a clear local and democratic mandate from residents in binding referenda.

While the Government is forcing Three Waters on councils, far too many councils are going along with, or even supporting, the handover of ratepayer assets to unelected bureaucracies in major centres.

‍With your support, we can hold councils to account for their position on Three Waters and what they are or aren’t doing to oppose it.‍

Along with the councils supporting Three Waters, their representative body, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), signed an agreement with the Government that prevents them from criticising Three Waters.

LGNZ’s failure to live up to their purpose on such a fundamental issue is so egregious that each council should withdraw the $4 million a year they collectively send to LGNZ and spend it on the infrastructure needs of our local communities.

As we saw with our wins on some of the winter grazing rules, exotic afforestation, and even the Government recognising that more research is needed on emission reduction options for agriculture, standing up for our farmers, growers, and rural communities does get results – even with this Government.

Join our campaign to stop Three Waters and protect local control of local water assets at www.itsyourwater.nz.

Thank you for your support.