Dave Chambers: Watercare CEO on Watercare’s secret $20 million deal with Waikato-Tainui

Watercare is under fire for keeping a $20 million deal with Waikato-Tainui under wraps.

It's been revealed the Auckland Council-controlled water provider last year signed up to paying $1 million a year, for two decades.

The money will go into research and environmental projects in the Waikato River and catchment.

It's on top of $40 million paid for clean-up projects under Watercare's river-consent agreement.

Watercare chief executive Dave Chambers says they could've been more open.

"As things have unfolded today - certainly if we had our time again, we would have done things in a different way." 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now it has been speaking of money, it's been revealed
today that water Care in Auckland has struck a secret
deal to pay Ye Cuttle's tying that we ewe twenty
million bucks. It'll be one million dollars every year for
twenty years now. The agreement seems related to water Care
winning the ability to be able to draw more water
from the White Cuttle River when Auckland was in drought.
Dave Chambers is the chief executive at Watercare. Hey, Dave, hi, Heather,

(00:23):
why do you keep it a secret?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Well, it's as we've as things have unfolded today. Certainly
for had our time again, we would have announced things
in a different way. We have been working with Waikato
Tainui on some of these issues since twenty twenty where
we had our first cohenata and it was refreshed last
year and we signed in December of last year. So

(00:48):
I certainly apologized to Auckland as if they feel as
anything untoward with that.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
So you think there was something Dave, No, no, no,
So explain to me why a secret?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well, we didn't keep it a secret, and really clarify
that it's a maximum of a million dollars.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
No, no, no, no, no, I'm not ready to talk about that.
I'm not ready to talk about that, Dave. I want
to know where you kept it a secret? You and
Taynui mutually agreed not to release a press release. Why?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, if we had our time again, No.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Why Dave? When you made that decision, you made it
for a reason, and what was that reason?

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Well, as it's said, I can only apologize.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
No, Dave, par you owe me an explanation. I am
a ratepayer, as are so many people listening to this.
Why did you not tell us? Why did you decide
to keep it from us?

Speaker 2 (01:44):
It was a refreshed agreement from twenty twenty, Heather, and
it was announced at that time.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
I know that that is on the record. Why did
you keep it a secret?

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, I don't think we did keep it a secret.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Why did you? Can let me rephrase it that you
can understand this. Why did you not release a press release?
Why did you decide to not release a press release?

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Well, as a stay, we would do it differently if
we're having why and what it does?

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Come on? You guys made who You made this decision
for a reason. What was that reason? Because I'm going
to fill the blanket for you right now. The reason
was that we were going to react the way that
we're reacting right now. You didn't want this bad attention?
Is that right?

Speaker 2 (02:35):
No, that's not the case at all.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
So what was the case?

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well? With the as I said, all I can do
is apologize for not refreshing our media statement from that
refreshed agreement.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
Okay, what is this money being spent on?

Speaker 2 (02:58):
So I'd like to clarify that it's a maximum of
a million dollars a year for projects to improve the
water quality of particularly the lower reaches the Awa the
Waikato River. Today, no money has been paid. And because
the joint working Party is just starting its work and

(03:20):
there'll be a five year plan, representeds from both parties
report to both organizations and as to how that funding
will be allocated and particularly what outcomes will be delivered.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Does that money, that million bucks a year include paying
the costs of two Kaitiaki two guardians?

Speaker 2 (03:40):
No, I think it's for some secretariat support for the
group what a joint working party, and there'll be a
program lead for the projects that that we've worked on
to improve the water quality. So this isn't it's it's

(04:02):
not unusual to what's completely usual that that our water
catchments have protection programs. And this is the White Ketto
River supplies normally twenty percent of orphans drinking water.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Who else are you making these payments for? Who else
are you paying in order to be able to draw
water out for people to drink?

Speaker 2 (04:25):
We're not paying these people to draw water out to drink.
Payments are for if approach, what these payments are for
and what the projects are for is to try and
improve the quality of the White cam on day.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
Anyone knows, is this not a condition of getting your consent?

Speaker 2 (04:44):
The two millions for the why Keto River Authority was
a condition of consent?

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yes, yeah, all right, okay, how much is it costing
every household?

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Well, we've got FO one hundred and eighty five thousand
connected cut them is a cross Auckland social and residential.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
So it's twenty million divided by four hundred and eighty
five thousand.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
No, it's a maximum of a million dollars a year
for projects to improve the water quality. And as have
said to date, we haven't paid any money and because
the projects haven't been scoped as to what they'll what
they are and what they'll contribute to water quality improvements.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
All right, Dave, thank you. Dave Chambers, chief executive at
water Care Heather caught red handed. Does he think ratepayers
are stupid? Yes, I think he does. Sane Hither, I
have to keep checking my radio to see if it's
working because of the long gaps. Peter, Hither, you need
to borrow Mike's trucks and clown cars. That water Care
guy is a humpty shell. Hither the convoys are coming
through and fast through this interview here. The ratepayers would

(05:49):
have closed this down had we been told. And that
right there is why they kept it secret. Because he
didn't like what just happened to him. He didn't like
having to explain it, and they didn't want to have to,
and they hope we'd never find out. I'm very happy
to say that, I'm very happy to come up with
that little conspiracy theory right there. For more from Hither
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio