1972: Otama Water Supply Scheme
July 26, 2021
By AHNZ
Free men tamed the land and harnessed the water upon which their lives and districts depended. For example, the Southland farming community at Otama who, in 1972, built their own water supply system.
Then, along came a spider. The politician. Took what was built. Let the people keep some of what they themselves had made. Took the credit for making it and maintaining it too. Charged the victims a tax to have a drink of their own water.
This happened all over New Zealand but at Otama they said “No.” Wellington declared that their water scheme must now belong to Local Government but the farmers refused to accept it. Those farmers, and sons of farmers were begging (“passionate pleading”) to be given it back!
“Eastern Southland farmers made passionate pleas to politicians to grant them ownership of the Otama Rural Water Scheme at a Select Committee hearing in Gore..”
“Farmers, who in many cases set up the rural water supply, which now serves about 200 properties with stock and household water, are fighting for ownership of the scheme after the council was deemed to own it under the Local Government Act.”- Passionate pleas over Otama water scheme ownership, Stuff (2018)
“The Otama Water Supply Bill, giving ownership of the scheme to its users, was passed unanimously by Parliament on Wednesday.” – Southland Times (2019)
In 2018 Anarchist History went on record saying: “No chance. Fools. Victimhood Culture will not save you from The State.” Government, both local and central, are simply warlords here to exploit us and take our stuff away. They’re not going to stop doing that to the people they consider serfs simply because we beg like peasants! And yet…
Yet somehow…Otama got to keep its water. In 2019 Labour 6.0 allowed their coalition partner Mark Patterson (New Zealand First) to have an Act of Parliament pass especially for Otama to keep its water. The Government had accepted that the product created by a community by their own efforts and expense belonged to themselves!!? I couldn’t believe the news. This is not how Government works. My Anarchist understanding of politics was all a’kilter. There had to be a catch! I decided to watch and wait.
Before too long it all became clear. Just two years down the track and along came Labour 6.0’s master stroke: Three Waters.
It must have been at the back of Labour 6.0’s mind that the submissions and travel and begging and organising by Otama would gain them nothing. Whatever Mark Patterson had to do to get his bill passed, whatever his party did for Labour in terms of concessions or votes, they would have the last laugh. They intended to nationalise Otama’s water all along so could afford to, seemingly benevolently, hand it over to the people prior to the 2020 election. Local appreciation probably over this ‘gift’ wouldn’t have done Labour 6.0’s election results any harm either but little did those Southlanders know…
“Central Government is seeking a take-over of the water-supply tax base currently held by Local Government. The scheme is to be called ‘Three Waters’.” – Three Waters, NZB3
Three Waters is going to come along and nationalise Otama, snatching back what seemed like a gift from Jacinda Ardern’s regime but turned out to be a boomerang. That, at least, was the duplicitous plan all along it seems. Anarchist political theory is vindicated.
After fighting and winning their land and water, Otama folk have a right to be frustrated and depressed. All their work for a victory that should have been forever but instead is threatened within just 2 years! There is hope though, if they are prepared to fight the fight again. This time they must not get their needs met by begging or playing victim. With the rest of New Zealand they need to raise some Anarchic Colonial independent spirit and refuse to let the Government abuse their property rights.
”By the ’60s rural water schemes had been introduced in North Otago, but the Otama scheme was the first to be mooted in Southland,..”The actual work of laying pipes was begun in November 1972 with some 33km of asbestos pipe being laid in trenches dug with the county grader,” – The Knapdale Run, Elizabeth Kerse (1983); NZ Herald
In times past, Otama had strong political clout to pitch in for them. Brian Talboys and Bill English and long gone. After 2014 things got weird as the sober straight men were traded in for wonky Millennial mavericks. The first one, Todd Barclay, almost instantly self-destructed by in-fighting with his own staff. The second one, Hamish Walker, blew his nice Safe Seat too within weeks of appearing in photo ops with Otama farmers visiting Parlaiment. Mark Patterson lost his political clout along with his party after the last election but, as politicians do, found another job as President of Federated Farmers. He’s spending his time trying to calm his public down about their fears about Labour 6.0 being against farmers and in favor of the United Nations…and failing at it. Ref. Rural group’s ‘wild conspiracy theories’ criticised, ODT (2021)
So, they’re on their own. That’s as it should be. We can fight our own battles and Otama people can lead the way thanks to their recent experience with government duplicity. And, they have that flag.
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Image ref. Otama’s own WW1 Union Jack. Battle-worn and bullet-holed, Southland Times (2019)
Royal Assent given to bill, 27/05/19; Ref. Parliament
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