Jacinda Ardern unveils multibillion-dollar funding to fix New Zealand’s water crisis

Prime minister offers funding in bid to centralise how country deals with storm, drinking and wastewater but plan has already met opposition

New Zealand has ringfenced $2.5bn to ease financial pressures on councils as they deal with a controversial shake-up of the water industry.

With $1.5bn already allocated to the Three Waters Reform program, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday that councils would be given $500m to cushion extra costs and another $2bn for future investment.