The Parliamentary Counsel Office has made editorial and format changes to this version using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

Note 4 at the end of this version provides a list of the amendments included in it.

The Parliament of New Zealand enacts as follows:

1 Title

This Act is the Gore District Council (Otama Rural Water Supply) Act 2019.

2 Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day after the date on which it receives the Royal assent.

Part 1 Preliminary provisions

3 Purpose

The purpose of this Act is—

(a)

to specify the process that the Gore District Council must follow to authorise a transfer of the Otama Rural Water Supply scheme to Otama Rural Water Limited; and

(b)

to provide for certain related matters if the scheme is transferred to the Company.

4 Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

Company means Otama Rural Water Limited, incorporated on 3 October 2017 under company number 6434682

Council means the Gore District Council

Registrar means the Registrar-General of Land

scheme means the Otama Rural Water Supply scheme that is vested in the Council, and includes the scheme assets

scheme assets—

(a)

means the real and personal property of the Council that is held or used (whether solely or partially) for the purposes of the scheme; and

(b)

includes the following plant and land:

(i)

the land described in Schedule 1:

(ii)

the Pyramid well:

(iii)

the Pyramid pump station:

(iv)

all reservoirs associated with the scheme:

(v)

all pump stations associated with the scheme:

(vi)

all break tanks associated with the scheme:

(vii)

all gravity and pressure mains associated with the scheme (up to the point of supply):

(viii)

all valves and supply point connections:

(ix)

all water meters:

(x)

the electronic control and monitoring equipment installed specifically to monitor the scheme infrastructure:

(xi)

the water treatment chlorination system; and

(c)

includes the resource consent granted under the Resource Management Act 1991: Water Permit 202102 (to take up to 2 600 cubic metres per day of surface water from a bore for the Otama Water Supply scheme)

scheme distribution area means the area coloured blue on the map set out in Schedule 2

Water Services Authority means the Water Services Authority—Taumata Arowai established by section 8 of the Water Services Authority—Taumata Arowai Act 2020.

Section 4 Taumata Arowai: repealed, on 27 August 2025, by section 111(2) of the Local Government (Water Services) (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025 (2025 No 43).

Section 4 Water Services Authority: inserted, on 27 August 2025, by section 111(2) of the Local Government (Water Services) (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025 (2025 No 43).

Part 2 Process for obtaining authorisation to transfer scheme

5 Council to follow transfer process

(1)

The Council must transfer the scheme to the Company if—

(a)

the Council has complied with subsection (3); and

(b)

the transfer is supported by more than 50% of the votes cast by the persons eligible to vote under section 7 in a referendum conducted under section 9 of the Local Electoral Act 2001.

(2)

The referendum referred to in subsection (1)(b) must be conducted—

(a)

not later than the date that is 5 years after the commencement of this Act; and

(b)

using the First Past the Post electoral system.

(3)

The Council complies with this subsection if—

(a)

the Council has consulted the Medical Officer of Health for the district about the proposed transfer; and

(b)

the Council has made publicly available, in a timely and balanced manner prior to the referendum,—

(i)

the views of the Medical Officer of Health; and

(ii)

the transfer plan and the proposed agreement outlining the roles and responsibilities of the Company and any contractors (including the Council) in relation to the scheme, as prepared by the Company under section 8; and

(iii)

the assessments made by the Company under section 8.

6 Responsibility for conduct of referendum

(1)

The Council is responsible for conducting the referendum under section 5(1)(b).

(2)

The electoral officer of the Council must prepare a special roll of the persons eligible to vote under section 7.

(3)

The provisions of the Local Electoral Act 2001 apply, with any necessary modifications, to the conduct of the referendum under section 5(1)(b).

7 Eligibility to vote in referendum

A person is eligible to vote in a referendum conducted under section 5(1)(b) if the person is qualified as either—

(a)

a residential elector under section 23 of the Local Electoral Act 2001 whose address for registration as a parliamentary elector is a property—

(i)

serviced by the scheme or capable of being serviced by the scheme; and

(ii)

within the scheme distribution area; or

(b)

a ratepayer elector under section 24 of the Local Electoral Act 2001 whose property, for the purposes of section 24(1)(a) or (b) of that Act, is a property—

(i)

serviced by the scheme or capable of being serviced by the scheme; and

(ii)

within the scheme distribution area.

8 Requirements for plans and assessments

(1)

The Company must, to the Council’s satisfaction,—

(a)

prepare a transfer plan which complies with section 9; and

(b)

prepare an analysis of the types of contractual arrangements that the Company will need to enter into with the Council and other parties to obtain goods and services in relation to the maintenance and operation of the scheme; and

(c)

assess the likely future capital and operating costs of the Company to maintain and operate the scheme for a period of 30 years from the proposed date on which the scheme is to be transferred to the Company; and

(d)

assess the ability of the Company to maintain and operate the scheme satisfactorily for a period of 30 years from the proposed date on which the scheme is to be transferred to the Company, including its ability to meet any relevant regulatory requirements.

(2)

The assessment under subsection (1)(d) must include an assessment of the Company’s ability and commitment in relation to any property within the scheme distribution area if the property were to be transferred or leased to another person.

(3)

In addition to the requirement under subsection (1)(d), the Company must provide a report in which it assesses, to the satisfaction of the Water Services Authority, the Company’s capacity to provide a safe drinking-water supply in accordance with any relevant regulatory requirements.

Section 8(3): amended, on 27 August 2025, by section 111(2) of the Local Government (Water Services) (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025 (2025 No 43).

9 Transfer plan

The transfer plan must contain the following:

(a)

a plan of the scheme; and

(b)

a description of the land or property that is serviced by the scheme and that is within the scheme distribution area; and

(c)

further details of any of the scheme assets, including specifying any permits or rights of any kind in respect of any of the scheme assets; and

(d)

any rights conferred by designations under the district plan applying to any land relating to the scheme; and

(e)

any rules in the regional plan relating to the scheme.

Section 9(d): amended, on 23 December 2023, by section 6 of the Resource Management (Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Repeal and Interim Fast-track Consenting) Act 2023 (2023 No 68).

Section 9(e): amended, on 23 December 2023, by section 6 of the Resource Management (Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Repeal and Interim Fast-track Consenting) Act 2023 (2023 No 68).

Part 3 Matters relating to transfer of scheme

10 Application of Part

This Part applies if the Council transfers the scheme to the Company.

11 Certain matters not affected by transfer of scheme

The transfer of the scheme to the Company—

(a)

does not constitute a breach of contract or agreement, or a civil wrong; and

(b)

is not to be regarded as giving rise to a right for any person to terminate or cancel any contract or arrangement or to accelerate the performance of any obligation; and

(c)

is not to be regarded as placing the Council, the Company, or any other person in breach of any enactment or rule of law or contractual provision prohibiting, restricting, or regulating the assignment or transfer of any property or the disclosure of any information; and

(d)

does not release any surety or guarantor wholly or in part from any obligation with respect to the scheme; and

(e)

does not invalidate or discharge any contract or security.

12 Application of Local Government Act 2002

Subpart 2 of Part 7 of the Local Government Act 2002 does not apply to the scheme.

13 Southland Regional Council to be advised of transfer

As soon as practicable after the scheme is transferred to the Company, the Council must notify the Southland Regional Council that the scheme has been transferred to the Company and the date of the transfer.

14 Taxation and duties provision

A supply of goods as part of the transfer of the scheme from the Council to the Company under this Act is chargeable with tax under section 8 of the Goods and Services Tax Act 1985 at the rate of 0%.

15 Transfer of land

(1)

Subject to subsections (2) to (4), the Registrar, on written application, is authorised on payment of the appropriate fee to make any entries in the registers and do any things that may be necessary to give effect to the transfer of the scheme to the Company.

(2)

Nothing in sections 40 to 42 of the Public Works Act 1981 applies to the transfer by the Council of any land or interest in land to the Company so long as the land or interest in land continues to be used for the purposes of the scheme.

(3)

However, if all or any part of the land or interest in the land is no longer required for the purposes of the scheme, sections 40 and 41 of the Public Works Act 1981 apply to the land or interest no longer so required as if the Company were the Council.

(4)

The Registrar must endorse on every computer freehold register transferred to the Company the effect of subsections (2) and (3), when the land or interest in the land is transferred to the Company.

Schedule 1 Description of land on which Otama Rural Water Supply scheme treatment plant situated

s 4

Area		Description		Computer freehold register
0.2372 hectares more or less		Southland Land District Lot 1 DP 384474		Computer freehold register 337851

Schedule 2 Map of scheme distribution area

s 4

Notes

1 General

This is a consolidation of the Gore District Council (Otama Rural Water Supply) Act 2019 that incorporates the amendments made to the legislation so that it shows the law as at its stated date.

2 Legal status

A consolidation is taken to correctly state, as at its stated date, the law enacted or made by the legislation consolidated and by the amendments. This presumption applies unless the contrary is shown.

Section 78 of the Legislation Act 2019 provides that this consolidation, published as an electronic version, is an official version. A printed version of legislation that is produced directly from this official electronic version is also an official version.

3 Editorial and format changes

The Parliamentary Counsel Office makes editorial and format changes to consolidations using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019. See also PCO editorial conventions for consolidations.

4 Amendments incorporated in this consolidation

Local Government (Water Services) (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025 (2025 No 43): section 111(2)

Resource Management (Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Repeal and Interim Fast-track Consenting) Act 2023 (2023 No 68): section 6

Gore District Council (Otama Rural Water Supply) Act 2019