The Ashburton District Council is hoping to see more information about the Government's plans on water reform, after the Prime Minister announced on Wednesday that $761 million would be invested to help upgrade the country's three waters infrastructure.

Ashburton District Mayor Neil Brown said with tighter regulations coming into place for the country's drinking, waste and storm water services, many councils and their communities were facing increased costs.

"The Government's funding announcement recognises the financial challenges councils are increasingly dealing with as they maintain and in many cases, upgrade their three waters infrastructure. For many councils, particularly in smaller rural areas, this funding will be a tremendous boost.
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"We are quite fortunate in the Ashburton District that the Council has been so proactive at upgrading our infrastructure."

The Prime Minister also revealed that councils would need to sign up to the Government's wider water reforms before they could access the $761 million.

"I'm looking forward to seeing further details about what the Government's plans are for water reform and what that might mean for our district," Mayor Brown added.

"Safe drinking water and effective waste and storm water services are vital to our quality of life, no matter where you live, so this is something we will continue to follow very closely."​