FAQs
When Waitī Waters is operational (from 1 July 2027), the Board and management of the company will have responsibility for the provision of water infrastructure and delivery of services in the region and will make all operational decisions.
The Waitī Water's strategy and investment plans will be set out in its Water Services Strategy which will be a publicly available document. The Strategy will need to be consistent with the priorities set by Councils and iwi in the Statement of Expectations.
A CCO is an organisation that is established by a Council (or group of Councils) as a separate legal entity. Ultimately a CCO is accountable to the Council (or Councils) that are the shareholders of the company, but is run independently, with independent management and governance.
When Waitī Waters is operational (from 1 July 2027), the Board and management of the company will have responsibility for the provision of water infrastructure and delivery of services in the region and will make all operational decisions.
The Waitī Water's strategy and investment plans will be set out in its Water Services Strategy which will be a publicly available document. The Strategy will need to be consistent with the priorities set by Councils and iwi in the Statement of Expectations.
It takes time to set the organisation up properly and to manage the transition from four councils into one new organisation. For example, we need to recruit new people, develop new IT systems, and put new governance structures in place – all of this takes time to do properly and in a way that minimises risks for customers and the community.
No, Waitī Waters will send you your water bill from July 2027. You will no longer pay for water services in your rates bill.
We will provide you with more information closer to July 2027 about how you will be able to pay your bill. Until then, the four Councils continue to be responsible for water services delivery, and you pay your water bill through your rates.This is a region-wide change, and the decision was taken by the four Councils following community consultation. The company will provide water services to all connected water users in the region.
The Board, Chief Executive and senior management of Waitī Waters will be appointed throughout 2026. We will provide updates on this site on those appointments as they are made.
Maintaining continuity of service for the community is the most important objective of the transition. Drinking water and wastewater services will continue as normal.
You won’t notice much about the change apart from your water bill, which will come from Waitī Waters rather than your council, when it is up and running.
The Stakeholders’ Forum is the representative group of Councils and iwi that provides oversight of the company. The Forum members are – Mayor Scott Gilmore (TDC), Mayor Fran Wilde (SWDC), Deputy Mayor Craig Bowyer (Chair, MDC), Councillor Brian Deller (CDC), Tipene Chrisp (Rangitāne T ū Mai Rā Trust), Robin Potangaroa (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua Settlement Trust).
Since 2019, Wellington Water Ltd (WWL) has managed water, wastewater, and stormwater services for South Wairarapa District Council. From 1 July 2026, WWL will operate as Tiaki Wai (Metro Water) to serve several Wellington councils, and South Wairarapa District Council will exit Wellington Water. This creates a one-year gap for South Wairarapa District Council before Waitī Waters is operational from 1 July 2027. Beginning in July 2026, water services to South Wairarapa District Council will be provided by Citycare Water and then from July 2027, South Wairarapa’s water services (along with water services for Masterton, Carterton and Tararua Councils) will transfer to Waitī Waters.
No. Waitī Waters and the proposed local council amalgamation are separate. Waitī Waters is about providing safe and reliable water infrastructure and services in South Wairarapa, Tararua, Carterton and Masterton. From 1 July 2027, Waitī Waters will look after drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services for these communities.
Council amalgamation is different. It is about whether some local councils should join together to become one larger council which could change how they are set up and how local decisions are made. If Councils were to decide to amalgamate, this would change which Councils are shareholders of Waitī Waters. But it would not be expected to have any other impact on Waitī Waters operations, or how it delivers services for the Wairarapa and Tararua communities.
If you would like to know more about the amalgamation process and what it could mean for your area, please visit your local council website:
South Wairarapa: Simplifying local government - SWDC
Carterton: Amalgamation - and what this might mean for Carterton
Masterton: Future of Local Government community survey results - Masterton District Council
Tararua: Reform of Local Government | Tararua District CouncilNo Councils will not continue to provide water services like they do now. Councils become shareholders in Waitī Waters and the company will be responsible for delivering water services and managing the water assets. In their role as shareholders, Councils do retain important influence over Waitī Waters and are required under legislation to set expectations for Waitī Waters - these expectations are set out in a Statement of Expectations.
The first expectation for Waitī Waters has just been completed and is available here in early August. More information on the legislative requirements for Statements of Expectations is available here.
Under the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025, shareholders of water organisations (in our case Carterton, Masterton, Tararua and South Wairarapa Councils) are required to set out their expectations of water organisations in a Statement of Expectations. These are documents with a 10-year focus and play an important role in guiding the investment decisions, planning and delivery priorities of a water organisation. The Statement of Expectations is available here.
When the water organsiation receives the Statement of Expectations from shareholders, it must then develop a Water Services Strategy, which is a 10-year delivery plan, to demonstrate how it intends to give effect to the shareholders' direction and expectations. The Water Services Strategy will be available for public feedback and will be provided to the economic and environmental regulators (Commerce Commission and Taumata Arowai) to demonstrate that Waitī Waters is meeting regulatory requirements.
The Water Services Strategy will be available for public feedback in early 2027.
As Waitī Waters transitions to becoming operational on 1 July 2027, we remain committed to working alongside iwi. Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu are mana whenua across Wairarapa and Tararua and have partnered with the four Councils in establishing Waitī Waters. Waitī Waters intends to continue this approach at both a governance and operational level, recognising the role of iwi as kaitiaki of water resources and upholding Treaty settlement obligations.
Waitī Waters is owned by the four shareholding Councils and overseen by a Stakeholders’ Forum with representatives from each of the four Councils as well as Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu partners. Our name, Waitī Waters, was also developed in consultation with mana whenua and reflects the importance of freshwater to life and wellbeing.
Our Water Services Strategy is expected to be publicly available for feedback in early 2027. Closer to the time, we will provide details about how the community can provide feedback.
Until then, communities can stay up to date through our website and by joining the mailing list for our monthly newsletter. You can also contact our team on: info@waitiwaters.co.nz