The community of Kaipara will soon be asked for feedback on a way forward for the district’s water services.
Under the Local Water Done Well legislation, all councils around New Zealand have been tasked by the Government to consider how they can best provide water services in the future, by joining up with others or on their own. Regardless of what service delivery model is chosen, councils will need to meet new economic, environmental, and water quality regulatory requirements.
In the March 2025 council meeting, elected members discussed and approved three options for consultation – a combined Northland council-controlled organisation which would look after Kaipara wastewater and drinking water supply, a shared service arrangement with one or more councils (for wastewater and drinking water), or retain an in-house model that would continue to look after all three water services (wastewater, drinking water and stormwater).
Local Water Done Well (LWDW) is legislation introduced from the Government and aimed at addressing New Zealand’s long-standing water infrastructure challenges. It paves the way for services and assets to be retained by council while offering new options for delivering water services and funding water infrastructure.
You can find more information about the Local Water Done Well programme on the Department of Internal Affairs website.
