The water meter issue
When I was manning one of the stands at the Newtown Fair earlier this year, we had a petition for Wellington residents to oppose the adoption of water meters and charging for water. I noticed that the campaign has continued today outside the Newtown Mall.
By the looks of things, today’s campaigners were more successful, filling up more pages of their petition. I know from my experience that there were people both for and against water charging, with the majority against. How do site visitors feel about this issue?
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The privatization of power utility is a bloody disaster! Instead of opening up competition, you have now an oligarch cartel. From main street, I have heard that in the cold months, it is better to go with Mercury as it offer cheaper rates but not in summer whereas, Contact is cheaper in the summer.
This is what happens when we privatize, you start having a cartel and this leave little or not effective competition to offer what’s best to the consumer. In some ways, nationaliztion of certain industries though it may seem socialist but it benefits the citizen.
To this effect, I sound socialist on this matter as too much of a competition is bad. We must find a balance between the Marxist and Keynesian ideals so that it benefits the common Kiwi.
On this matter, water should be free. It is the last bastion of god’s gift to man and we therefore should not be charging how it is being utilized.
I believe in the concepts of free market liberaliztion but I also believe in social controls, in that it is the guiding invisible hand of free market capitalism.
This is precisely why I am so for social responsibility and against technocracies. History has proven how disastrous technocratic policies have been for the people of New Zealand, and the power prices are ridiculously high given the earnings of the average Kiwi family. A balance can be struck, and your view is not far from my own ideals on this topic.
“Where once voters were inclined to subordinate their own views to those of wiser heads, they now feel capable of analyzing public-policy issues themselves.” Dick Morris on The New Prince.
He speaks about how the public (in this case American public) becoming more social and policy conscious about the matters of running the state. What works for the voters would count. In this case, open competition has not benefited the common kiwi in terms of the power utility bill (including myself and the missus). Unless, the city of Wellington has a water shortage issues despite being close to the sea like Kuwait City or Singapore, then this issue needs to be looked at, if not why bother.
One important thing needs to be addressed though is that how would this be covered under the current RMA and its new ammendment?
Meters = privatisation down the line.
No meters = no privatisation.
It’s simple.
last year 21% leakage and all we get is pr reporting ons cript from the councillors.
No way Jose, I won’t vote for anyone who is for metering.
Look at what National did with Power, do we really want to subject the ratepayers to private oligarchies on an essential food?
I would even vote Brian Pepperal if that meant not letting Kerry in again to protect the water from privatising.
Albertus, absolutely. Incidentally, thank you for the attachments in your email recently, which I have now read.
Mike: precisely. Plus we are surrounded by the stuff—so charging for it is monstrous to me, leaving all the politics aside.
I hope you’ll consider me over Councillor Pepperell as I am firmly against privatizing a natural resource that is ours.