Hon NANAIA MAHUTA (Minister of Local Government): Xiexie, Mr Speaker. I've received vigorous feedback, as was anticipated at the beginning of the eight-week consultation period. During this time, the Department of Internal Affairs, Local Government New Zealand, and I have held over 150 engagements with councils, iwi Māori, the water industry, and other stakeholders. Almost all parties agree that the status quo is unworkable. Despite some much-publicised discontent, I am pleased with the number of councils, iwi, and other stakeholders who have engaged on the substance of the reforms and worked constructively to address several community concerns, such as governance arrangements, meaningful local voice, demonstrable consumer benefits, and broader local government roles and responsibilities. As part of this, I've signalled that areas like governance arrangements can continue to be worked on. It's a critical aspect to get right, and I'm making sure we do. Many iwi I've spoken with about these reforms welcome the opportunities presented to advance their relationship with local government to develop local kaimahi in this industry and see future services that uphold te mana o te wai.