By Losirene Lacanivalu, Cook Islands News
Water Photo: 123RF
The public does not want to pay for water, this is the message the Water Petition Committee reiterated to the Bills, Petitions and Papers Committee in Parliament when they made their submissions on Friday.
The 'Keep Our Water Free' petition was tabled in Parliament in September is requesting the collection, treatment and reticulation of water continue without tariffs and ongoing-charges to users.
The Rarotonga water authority, To Tatou Vai (TTV), has implemented water usage charges for commercial users starting on 1 October 2024.
Andy Kirkwood of water lobby group Te Vai Ora Maori and Joyana Finch, the petition committee spokesperson made submissions to the Committee chaired by Member of Parliament Akaiti Puna and includes MPs Tukaka Ama, Teokotai Herman, Tetangi Matapo and Robert Heather. Opposition MPs Tina Browne and Stephen Matapo were again not present
Finch said the petition is asking the government to allow for water delivery without charges or fees.
Finch claimed the petition has collected one of the highest numbers of signatures in Cook Islands history.
She said this was the third public objection against the user-pays model. In 2014- there was a Te Mato Vai Petition where 1946 people signed and said no to tariffs, in 2020, the Anti Chemical Petition had 1433 signatures saying no to tariffs and this year for the 'Keep Our Water Free Petition gathered 3207 signatures saying no to tariffs.
She said they gathered signatures from Cook Islands residents 18 years and over and people are still asking them where they could sign.
"The public don't want to pay for water, for ten years people have been speaking out against tariffs."
Finch said TTV's $17/month for 50,000litres was generous but the public know that this could change any time.
"We want water delivery to be a service not a business …prioritise the people."
Meanwhile, the Water Petition Committee in a statement said the petition is the third formal objection to user pays. This year 3407 people put pen-to-paper, to say that a water business - a state owned enterprise (SOE) - is not right for Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
"Running as a water business, To Tatou Vai (TTV) is able to side-step critical checks-and-balances. There's no Regulator; no Ombudsman to investigate; and compromised environmental safeguards. Our MPs pass laws and set regulations, but have no authority to influence TTV's corporate direction.
"An SOE is costly. There's a board of directors, highly paid executive staff, and catchment committees. None of these corporate governance structures are about supplying water to homes, growers, or businesses.
"To free the water authority from chasing revenue, the Petition Committee is calling for an immediate moratorium on tariffs, and amendment of the To Tatou Vai Act," the Committee added.