However, we have councils who will not let you do this. Real story. My uncle lives in Auckland, which makes Dunedin look Sane. (I was born, raised, educated and worked there until my mid 40s). He had a fee of around fifteen hundred dollars to move is water meter from one side of his property to the other: the meter is not that expensive, but the certification is. It costs around 50 000 dollars in council fees per house to get a new subdivision built divided between planning permission for the subdivision and the houses. Our central government is about to reform this, for the poor no longer can build or buy.

At present my employer is negotiating with me to take over another service: I am very clear about my agenda, and I want to know that they will agree to this plan. For some things you need permission for. At least where I live.

They bought a large plot of land for the purpose of running a reformatory for teenage boys. The camp is in excellent shape, but after digging several bores, they discovered it lacks good groundwater.

So one of the fellows on the board of this institution happens to know a thing or two about trenching and running gas lines, and he decided to run his own water line… for 5 kilometres to the nearest city with a water works. He took care of acquiring all the right of way needed from nearby farmers himself… and a few homeowners who agreed to let him run the line, provided they got to hook up to the line, too.

Now the reformatory has reliable water. No hapless mayor needed.