25762 (2026). Lan Pham to the Minister of Local Government

25762 (2026). Lan Pham to the Minister of Local Government: What advice did the Minister receive, if any, from public health agencies or advisors on the public health implications of section 89(1) of the Local Government (Water Services) (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025 (2025 No 43), which mandates the period for a resource consent for an activity that meets the requirements of a wastewater environmental performance standard be 35 years?

Hon Simon Watts: All advice about the policy development of section 89(1) was received in relation to the Local Government (Water Services) Bill. The Bill was split into two Acts at the Committee of the whole House, which created the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025 and Local Government (Water Services) (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025. I received advice about the technical settings within the wastewater environmental performance standards (standards) to ensure the standards account for public health. The advice is summarised in briefing LG20242842 Wastewater Environmental Performance Standards: Minimum and Maximum Approach on 20 June 2024, which is publicly available at: https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Proactive-Releases-2025-26/$file/Briefings-related-to-Local-Water-Done-Well-June-2024-February-2025.pdf.