The change is to establish new Water Services Entities, co-owned by councils and iwi, to manage our water services in Aotearoa. These entities will take on work that councils themselves have done until now, with the intention of avoiding duplication of work and preventing the ongoing politicisation of infrastructure spending.

These changes will mean that some people's jobs will need to change. As one of the unions covering workers in the three waters space, we will be making sure that the changes to make improvements for our communities don't inadvertently make working people worse off.

Even if the proposals were perfect, this reform wouldn’t fix all the issues overnight. The problems with our system have been baked in over decades, with inadequate funding, political pointscoring, a lack of community consultation, poor leadership and institutionalised racism all contributing to a system which does not meet our communities’ needs, and a range of heavily polarised reactions to the proposals on the table.

We're especially disheartened by how many groups have used Three Waters to rally support for other issues and agendas, many of them with racist motivations and peddling misinformation.

But nevertheless, changes are happening – and we’re making sure that PSA members who work in local government will be able to make the most of this opportunity to change how these systems work.

If you work in a three waters role, these reforms might mean changes to your job. We can't improve our system without making some changes! But while your job might change, there are protections for your employment. We're working hard to make sure these protections are as strong as possible - so that we retain expertise in the sector, and so that working people aren't unfairly worse off as a result of the changes.

There's still a lot of foundational work being done, but very soon we'll be wanting to speak to you more to hear your views on the transition process. As your union, we can advocate on your behalf - and as union members, we can support you to come together to present your perspectives strongly to the decision makers in this process.

PSA members see the reform of our three waters system as an opportunity to fix infrastructure funding issues, plan better for the longer term, share our skills and knowledge for everyone's benefit and meaningfully honour Te Tiriti. This restructure is also an important opportunity to address inequities between roles and, with the power of collective union voices, ensure that the pay and conditions in three waters are fair.

PSA members are also tired of seeing political games being played around these reforms, and of the spread of misinformation.

Here are some of the key things we've said in our submissions on the Bill:

1. The current system is not meeting the needs of our communities, and it needs reform if it is to meet the needs of communities into the future. This reform is an opportunity to fix this.
2. We support a governance model with equal seats at the decision-making table for Māori.
3. Workers' voices need to have a safe avenue for feedback and input into the decisions being made in the reform.
4. We support safeguards against privatisation and contracting out of our water services, and want to see strong public service provision.
5. As well as retaining their employment, workers transitioning to the new system should retain or improve all their current entitlements.
6. Workers' terms and conditions should be standardised across the Water Services Entitites.
7. We support public participation in the direction of how water services are run.

We're being guided by your delegates and member leaders

Our PSA Local Government Sector Committee has guided our conversations with government so far. This group is made up of members with a strong interest and commitment to drive change. To find out more about who's in your Sector Committee, just log into MyPSA!

We're using your feedback

Earlier this year we sent a survey to all PSA members working in local government to ask for your thoughts on the reforms! Your responses informed our submisions to government on the Water Services Entitities Bill, which is the law that establishes the new water system structure.

We're advocating to government on your behalf 

PSA staff are in regular contact with the Three Waters Transition Unit, to make sure that PSA member voices are heard throughout the decision-making process.

We've also submitted to government through the formal legislative process. You can read our submissions on the Water Services Entities Bill here. Next, we will be giving feedback on the Transition Guidelines the government has proposed for workers.

We're working with our union colleagues

We hold regular meetings and stay in close touch with our colleagues at other local government unions, and through the Council of Trade Unions - to make sure that all three waters workers, not only PSA members, are heard in this reform. After all, as unionists we know we're stronger together!

To have your voice heard, we recommend you get actively involved with your union!

The Three Waters Reforms are a significant moment for local government: they propose big changes to the responsibilities local government entities have, but also to the roles of people who have been working in our system for a long time.

With the plans for change becoming so politicised, we think it's extremely important that workers feel they can express their feedback, ideas and concerns safely. Across the country, a range of different groups have used Three Waters as a springboard for their own agendas and other issues - by engaging through your union you can share your thoughts alongside others in your sector, and with your whole union behind you.

We believe the people making decisions about the new system should do so with the benefit of the expertise and experience of those actually working in the system - like PSA members - so we’ll make sure that at every opportunity, decision makers hear from PSA members about what our new water system needs to look like.

Together, union members can make sure workers are supported through the reforms and get the best outcome possible. Through your union, with the backing of your colleagues, your voice is more powerful.

Right now our work includes feeding our members' views into decisions being made by the Government (like the three waters legislation and staff transition guidelines) to provide your feedback to the Government, as well as keeping you informed about new developments.

As the reforms progress we’ll be doing things like helping provide your input into the design of the water services entities and the jobs within them, and supporting you as you go through the process of transitioning from one organisation to another.

We know that together, in number, workers are louder, and we’re stronger. With the new water system bringing more workers together, we’ll have opportunities to show our united strength and push for better pay and conditions that fairly reflect the work PSA members do in supporting our communities. As your union, we'll make sure we highlight every opportunity in the reform to push for fair pay and conditions for PSA members.

There are four major unions covering workers in the three waters sector.

We've outlined the types of role each union will cover moving forward. If you are already a member of a union that is moving away from covering your type of work, that's okay - your union will continue to cover your role, or will support you (if you'd prefer) to move to the union that will be covering your type of work.

If you're not yet a union member, we encourage you to join your union!

• New Zealand Public Service Association - Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi (PSA)

Workers anywhere in New Zealand who work for a council or CCO and aren’t in one of the specialist areas covered by the other three unions.

To join or find out more visit www.psa.org.nz/join  

For any questions contact ian.gordon@psa.org.nz

• Aviation and Marine Engineers Association (AMEA)

Workers in Entity A (who currently work in Auckland) as Process Operators, Process Supervisors, Electricians, Instrument Technicians, Calibration Technicians and those with Dual trades.

Also workers in Entity D (who currently work for Christchurch City Council) as Electrical Technicians, Network Controllers and Shift Engineers.

To join or find out more visit www.amea.co.nz

For any questions contact steve@amea.co.nz 

• Amalgamated Workers Union NZ (AWUNZ)

Workers anywhere in New Zealand who do operational tasks and maintenance in water and wastewater treatment plants, control rooms, water and wastewater reticulation networks and stormwater networks.

To join or find out more visit www.awunz.nz  

For any questions contact blake.monkley@awunz.org.nz

• E tū

Workers anywhere in New Zealand who work in mechanical (such as fitters) and electrical trades, and people with engineering qualifications who are primarily field based in the Three Waters space.

Also cleaners and security guards who are contracted or directly employed.

To join or find out more visit www.etu.nz

For any questions contact mat.danaher@etu.nz

For a number of months now we've been meeting regularly with the other national three waters unions and the NTU (National Transition Unit).

Through these ongoing conversations we've been able to share our members' views and make sure we've all planned ahead for the changes that are coming. This includes agreeing different unions' coverage under the new structure, and calling for meaningful engagement of union members by the NTU.

As we get closer to the changes, we'll make sure that we keep you updated about ways to get more actively involved in sharing your feedback!