Ōtaki Pool is a beneficiary of Kāpiti Coast District Council’s successful application for Better Off funding, part of the government’s support of councils to transition to the Three Waters water service entities next year.

The pools gets $500,000 for a low emissions power source. While it’s only a small part of the $5.26 million for Kāpiti, Ōtaki stands to gain more, as it will take a chunk of:

•  $325,000 to enable collaboration, capability-building and sustainability projects, including resourcing Ngā Hapū/Ōtaki Porirua Trust Board for sustainable food production

•  a $300,000 contribution to new public toilets at Chrystall’s Bend on the Ōtaki riverbank, on the Waikanae River Trail, and at Hemi Matenga Reserve in Waikanae

•  $300,000 to support the Ngāti Raukawa/Te Āti Awa/Ngāti Toa Confederation to develop and implement Māori housing solutions

•  $250,000 for an education hub investigation, workshops with strategic partners, community engagement, expertise, and iwi capacity funding.

The council successfully applied for funding for 14 new or accelerated, scaled up, or enhanced community well-being projects already in the Long-term Plan 2021-41.

Of the $2 billion available through the Better Off package, council has been allocated $21.05 million. The first tranche of $5.26 million is available now and must be spent by June 30, 2027. The second tranche of $15.79 million, under a separate process, will be available from July 1, 2024.

Whether tranche 2 will still be available might rest on the outcome of the General Election in October.

“In our submission, we’ll continue to push for positive Three Waters outcomes for our community and advocate for our district’s needs to ensure they’re met in the face of a changing climate and unprecedented growth,” says Mayor Janet Holborow. “This includes ensuring clarity around who is responsible for the collection of water charges and how price-quality regulation will work, how councils’ Three Waters debt is determined, and who is liable when there are issues.

“For now, we’re responding to government’s requests as required and taking advantage of any funding that’s available.”