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WATER PRESSURE GROUP MEDIA RELEASE 21 December 1999

The Water Pressure Group  Will Appeal High Court Decision.

Justice Salmon delivered his judgement in the High Court in Auckland last
Friday. Metrowater had sought a declaratory judgement from the court and
two Water Pressure Group members were named as defendants.

People opposed to commercialisation and privatisation of water services
throughout New Zealand will be concerned that Justice Salmon included in
his judgement:

"In my view it is at least arguable that  water is a saleable commodity . .
. . there is no doubt that the supply of water is a commercial activity."

Water Pressure Group media spokespersons Penny Bright and Jim Gladwin said
today:
"We intend to appeal the judgement of Justice Salmon,  where he rules that
the common law doctrine of prime necessity does not apply to the supply of
water and wastewater services,  and that it is precluded by the effect of
the Commerce Act."

"If democracy worked on the Auckland City Council,  this High Court  action
would all be quite unnecessary.
Our members are asking, what was the point of the Mayor Christine Fletcher
promising "genuine consultation",  and  spending over $740,000 of public
money on a public consultation process then ignoring what the people
wanted?  Of over 16,000 public submissions received at this year's annual
plan, over 15,000 opposed the
commercialisation and privatisation of public assets. They demanded that
Metrowater be abolished and that water services be reintegrated back into
Auckland City Council as a Stand Alone Business Unit (S.A.B.U.).
They also demanded that wastewater user-charges and systems charges be
abolished - wastewater charges to be paid for  from the general rating
base."

"Did the majority of Auckland City Councillors vote to abolish Metrowater?
No, not only did they ignore yet again,  the public submission process,
but three Councillors who were elected promising to abolish or scrap
Metrowater  (Jon Olsen, Victoria Carter and Grey Bartlett), broke their
word and voted to keep Metrowater going."

"The public wanted Metrowater abolished and instead got a new tariff with
increased user-charges. That
further penalises unfairly, those such as families who NEED to use more
water" they continued.

"Thus the fight against commercialised water is now also a battle for
meaningful democracy on the Auckland City Council, where the interests of
the majority of citizens are put ahead of corporates  and the very
wealthy."

"The Water Pressure Group is gearing up now to get Metrowater abolished at
next year's annual plan, and we are calling on all Auckland citizens who
agree with our stand to give us whatever support they can."

"Before Metrowater was established there was no widespread discontent over
funding water services. People in the Water Pressure Group are quite
content to pay their way in the community, but are not happy with the user
charges and commercialisation which is widely perceived as being unfair."

"With Judge Salmon's High Court decision going to appeal, it may be that
the new government needs to look at law changes to enshrine the supply of
water as an essential public service which should be affordable to the
general public throughout New Zealand, on a non-profit basis",  Penny
Bright and Jim Gladwin concluded.