Everyone in Aotearoa should have full ongoing access to safe, affordable and reliable drinking water. For some whānau, no matter what the price, charges for this essential service will be unaffordable.

Requiring water entities to provide consistent, effective assistance to whānau who are having difficulty paying could mean that everyone retains access to this necessity for life.

FinCap welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Commerce Commission's Economic Regulation of Water Services - Information Disclosure Draft Decision.

Through this submission we support information disclosure that provides transparency around the cost of essential water services.

We strongly recommend that the Commerce Commission includes more information disclosure requirements to monitor how suppliers are, or are not, effectively assisting whānau to maintain access to essential water services when they are having difficulty paying.

We recommend the Commerce Commission begin by adapting relevant measures from the Electricity Authority's Retail market monitoring notice for electricity into water information disclosure.

While our submission also acknowledges restricting essential water services might occur when someone is unable to pay, we are fundamentally opposed to water suppliers having this available as a debt collection tool.

No one should lose full access to water services they need for their health, wellbeing and social participation because they are unable to pay.

You can read FinCap's findings and submission here.