1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: This rates cap two to four percent. Right water is separate. 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: It's about getting back to basics. The law doesn't actually 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: come in, as we've said, till twenty twenty nine, but 4 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: the attitude is expected to be adjusted immediately. Simon Watts 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: is your Minister for Local Government is back with us. 6 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: Good morning, Yeah, great to be here, Miry. Wayne Brown 7 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: already says it isn't going to work. I suspect there 8 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: are other mayors who think the same way. How are 9 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: you going to deal with that? 10 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 2: Look, we're going to be having conversation with Wayne. We've 11 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 2: got to know. The process is open for consultation. I 12 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 2: think Auckland had already signaled that they were looking at 13 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 2: keeping their rates within a pretty tight band as we 14 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 2: go into the Alder years. That may has been pretty 15 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 2: keen on making sure that spending was under control for 16 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 2: rate payers. So I'm confident we can work through that 17 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 2: detail with them. We've set a band, Mike, and I 18 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 2: think that's important to recognize a low point on that 19 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,959 Speaker 2: based on inflation up a point on economic growth. That 20 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 2: band is a clear signal to councils And the reason 21 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 2: why we're doing it is because these guys are monopolies 22 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 2: and there's no riverbanks, no guardrails around what they've been 23 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 2: doing on rates, and some of it has been pretty 24 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 2: horrific in terms of a part the country a sense. 25 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: And I think most people will be on board with you. 26 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: But I was watching your press conference yesterday and you 27 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: said in the messages it starts now. It doesn't come 28 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: until twenty nine, but the attitude starts today. I would 29 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,279 Speaker 1: suggest to you they're going to give you the middle finger. 30 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, but look, you know, and that may be the case, 31 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 2: but my job is to make sure that I'm representing 32 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 2: the views that I'm hearing from ratepayers who are taxpayers 33 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 2: and they are sick and tired of seeing their money. 34 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 2: And as I said, these are monopolies being spent in 35 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 2: some pretty silly places and at excessive levels. And you know, 36 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 2: this has hit as hard as we know to supernuit. 37 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 2: It's hard to fix income and we've been practically the 38 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 2: policy is a band. It takes them. It's not the 39 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 2: New South Wales model. We've learnt from that. We've got 40 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 2: mechanisms to deal with your natural disasters and all of that. 41 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 2: So I think we've we've got the point right and 42 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 2: it'll be staged in as well, and over that process, 43 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 2: you know, we'll work with them. But actually, in fairness, 44 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 2: you know, I think I've had a lot of good 45 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 2: feedback from ratepayers across the tree overnight. Mike have said, 46 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 2: you know, well done. You know, at last someone's coming 47 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 2: in with a little bit of sense of control. 48 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: Do you think people can get their head around you? 49 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: Once again, watching that press conference yesterday, the media questions 50 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: were instructed by thought in the sense all they were 51 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: worried about was libraries and parks, which is not what 52 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: you're saying. You're not talking about library and parks, You're 53 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: talking about wastage. So do we not the councils understand 54 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 1: wastage as opposed to libraries and parks, or it's going 55 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: to become a scrap. 56 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 2: Well, look, part of this is an education process. But 57 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 2: we are not capping infrastructure. We're capping inefficiencies, right, and 58 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 2: that's the whole problem. We've got a lot of fact 59 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 2: in the system, and we need to make sure that 60 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 2: that finite amount of money ratepayers aren't a bottomless pit. 61 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 2: We know that, and you know, we've got to make 62 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 2: sure that that cash is going into the areas it's needed. 63 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 2: We're doing some other changes around, you know, making sure 64 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 2: that councils are focused on the basics. It's all part 65 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 2: of that package. But I'm confident I'll work with the industry, 66 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 2: not against them. But at the end of the day, 67 00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,639 Speaker 2: you know, I work for the ratepayer and this is 68 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 2: what they been calling. 69 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: For, right. I appreciate Simon Watson, Minister for Local Government. 70 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 71 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: News Talks at B from six am weekdays, or follow 72 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.