Selwyn Civic Calendar

Selwyn Waikirikiri

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General

N/A

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Scheduled

4 February 2026, 9am, Council Chambers (Rolleston)

Audit and Risk Subcommittee, 9am; meeting open to the public.

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Tuesday 10 February, 7.30pm, Baylis Lounge, Lincoln Events Centre

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Selwyn Water: Let’s Talk – Properly

Public meeting, Tuesday 10 February, 7.30pm, Baylis Lounge, Lincoln Events Centre, entry by gold coin donation.

Many people across Selwyn feel the future of our water is being decided for communities, not with them. The Selwyn Water Company was rejected by the public less than a year ago, yet within the first 100 days of the new council there’s been little visible compass on whether that decision will be properly reviewed, revisited, or formally endorsed.

That uncertainty isn’t healthy for trust.

This public meeting is about having an open community discussion on what Selwyn people actually want for their water - backed by facts, hard numbers, and proper scrutiny - not assumptions carried over from the previous council.

We’re calling for a formal investigation and genuine community consultation, leading to one of two honest outcomes:
• Either dissolution of the Selwyn Water Company, or
• Formal ratification of it - with transparency, accountability, and legitimacy properly shored up.

To ground the discussion, we’ll openly talk through the key concerns people keep raising, including:
1. Lack of democratic mandate or renewed consent
2. Blurred accountability between council, board, and management
3. Extra governance and compliance costs
4. Reduced transparency compared with in-house delivery
5. Incentives drifting toward growth and complexity
6. Unclear control over public water assets
7. Procurement and contracting risks
8. Technical decisions drifting from community priorities
9. Poor integration with roads, growth, and other council works
10. Ongoing perception the model exists against the will of the people
11. Unclear risk and liability when things go wrong
12. Uncertainty around future national water reforms
13. Risk of future privatisation or asset-sale creep

This is not a protest. It’s not a council meeting. It’s a community conversation.

Come to speak or hear where others are at.

Open mic discussion (moderated).

Mayor and Councillors are warmly invited.

If water matters to you - and it affects all of us - please come along and be part of the discussion.

Further information and a more detailed discussion paper download at www.zoran4selwyn.nz/swc 

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Wednesday 11 February, 1.00pm, Council Chambers

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Council meeting.

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Tuesday 24 February 7.30pm, Southbridge Hall

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New Leeston Community Centre naming discussion

Public meeting, Southbridge Hall, Tuesday 24 February 7.30pm, entry with gold coin donation to cover venue cost.

A public conversation Selwyn needs to have.

All Selwyn ratepayers contribute to community facilities.

That simple fact raises an important question: who gets to decide their name, and how?

The Local Government Act is clear - councils must listen to community voice and make decisions in line with the will of the community, not just the views of a committee or a narrow consultative group.

This meeting is not about arguing for or against any particular name for the Leeston Community Centre.

It is about something more fundamental:
- The naming process.
- Who is heard, and who isn’t.
- Whether council committees truly reflect community voice.

Many of us lived through the Selwyn Water Company debacle of 2025, where decisions were made about the community, not with it. This meeting is about drawing a clear line and saying: that way of doing things must not continue.

Purpose of the meeting
- To discuss how naming decisions should be made when assets are funded by all ratepayers
- To formalise a clear community position on consultation, representation, and accountability
- To signal to Council that listening must happen before decisions are locked in - not after

This is constructive, forward-looking, and about strengthening local democracy - not tearing anything down.

If you believe:
- community voice matters
- process matters
- and Selwyn can do better than repeating past mistakes,

…then I encourage you to come along, listen, and contribute. All welcome, not just residents proximate to Leeston.

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