By Talaia Mika, Cook Islands News
To Tatou Vai water reservoir that releases the water into the water network pipeline for consumption. 9 February 2023 Photo: To Tatou Vai
The organisers of the "Keep Our Water Free" (KOWF) Petition are frustrated after failing to obtain a copy of To Tatou Vai (TTV) Minister Albert Nicholas' report before it is tabled in parliament later this month.
The report is in response to the Parliament Select Committee Report on the review of the KOWF Petition 2024, which agreed that the collection, treatment and reticulation of water continues without tariffs and ongoing charge to user subject to reasonable tariffs be imposed to commercial users.
Parliament clerk Tangata Vainerere said Minister Nicholas' report is currently referred to the Bills, Petitions and Papers Committee for consideration.
"It is up to them what actions they will take with regards to the response. I am not at liberty to make any disclosures or assumptions about that as the Committee is yet to complete its review of the response," Vainerere said.
Lead petitioner Justine Matatoa Flanagan expressed dissatisfaction following a meeting with Nicholas this week, describing it as unsatisfactory and uninformative.
Flanagan, along with two other members of the "Keep Our Water Free" Petition organising committee, met with Nicholas on Tuesday to discuss the Select Committee Report and the steps being taken to implement its recommendations.
She said the group was hoping to gain clarity on the Minister's approach to implementing the report's recommendations.
However, they left the meeting feeling frustrated as Minister Nicholas did not provide a copy of the report or disclose any specific information.
"There's three of us that turned up at the meeting because we wanted to talk to the Honourable Minister for TTV to talk to him about the Select Committee Report and also hopefully discuss what steps he's taking to implement the recommendations," Flanagan said.
"He, as of last week or something, he submitted that report to parliament, and he did not give us a copy of the report, although I asked, and he wouldn't disclose any information.
"It was a little bit frustrating. Albert did suggest that we get in touch with parliament and ask them for a copy of the report."
Lead petitioner Justine Matatoa Flanagan, closest to the camera, with other petitioners in Parliament on 16 September 2024. Photo: Cook Islands News
Cook Islands News has contacted Nicholas' office and TTV chair Brian Mason, who was present at the meeting. Mason stated that disclosures of the report must come from the Minister himself.
According to Flanagan, members of TTV, including chair Mason, chief executive Apii Timoti, and an engineer, were present at the meeting, which was "unexpected".
She said Mason did most of the talking during the 30-minute meeting, even though the group had intended to meet solely with the Minister.
Nicholas did indicate that the group could meet with him again after they had obtained and reviewed the report. However, no date was set for a follow-up meeting, Flanagan said.
"There was no commitment to time or when or anything like that. So we were in a bit of a limbo because we haven't been given the report and we don't know what's in it."
The report from Nicholas, the Minister responsible for the Cook Islands Investment Corporation which oversees the Rarotonga water authority, is expected to be tabled in Parliament on May 21.
Flanagan said that the group is keen to get a copy of the report from Parliament.
"We will approach Parliament again and we'll see what they say," she said.
The KOWF Petition, presented earlier this year, advocates for the continued collection, treatment, and distribution of water without tariffs, except for reasonable charges on commercial users and penalties for wastage.
The Bills, Petitions and Papers Committee chaired by Member of Parliament for Manihiki, Akaiti Puna, had agreed that TTV should be funded by the government. It also recommended a system that imposes a reasonable penalty for wastage and that commercial users be defined taking into account agriculture users and small businesses (market vendors).
Additional reporting Losirene Lacanivalu.
-This article was first published by [www.cookislandsnews.com Cook Islands News]
