12115 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government

12115 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government: What specific concerns, if any, did councils raise about the exclusion of stormwater from the rates cap, beyond the issue of it not yet being regulated by the Commerce Commission?

Hon Simon Watts: The main issue raised during consultation was how stormwater activities are defined, and how it would be treated under a rates cap. Stormwater network is defined in sections 4 and 11 of the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025. Stormwater revenue and expenditure is ringfenced under this legislation and is therefore excluded from the rates cap.