10486 (2024). Hon Kieran McAnulty to the Minister of Local Government

10486 (2024). Hon Kieran McAnulty to the Minister of Local Government: How much did work on the business case, if any, for the Local Water Done Well deal with Watercare cost?

Hon Simeon Brown: I am advised the existing departmental resource was used to support Auckland Council’s work on the proposed model. As part of the process of developing the Watercare model, it was tested by international credit ratings agency S&P Global Ratings. This cost was shared between Auckland Council and the Crown. The total cost of the S&P Global Ratings Rating Evaluation Service process was $350,000. The Council paid $225,000 of this and the Crown paid $125,000. The Crown component of this was primarily related to testing design features that would inform the broader system design for Local Water Done Well, and to support Auckland Council.