NEWSLETTER
May 2026
Welcome to the new Waitī Waters monthly newsletter
Waitī Waters is being established to deliver safe, reliable and financially sustainable water services for current and future generations in the Wairarapa and Tararua region. We are well underway delivering this major change and look forward to keeping you up to date with progress each month as we count down to our official start date of 1 July next year.
Waitī Waters officially launched
While there are many milestones in the transition process, we ticked off a couple of rather large ones last month with a powhiri to welcome our new Board of Directors and the official launch event for our newly-named entity Waitī Waters – plus we also became a legal entity with the formal Companies Office process completed.
The launch event was held in Masterton in mid-April and was a really significant occasion for the elected members and staff of the four Councils and iwi partners, Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu, and a culmination of a lot of work over the last few years to make water reform a reality in our region. And it was a lot of fun! Thanks to those that joined us!
Our name
Waitī Waters was named in consultation with Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu and we’re thrilled with it. Waitī represents the Matariki star associated with freshwater and the importance of freshwater for supporting life and wellbeing, and the name also represents the partnership Councils, and the new company have with the region’s iwi and the commitment to continuing
to work together.
Our Board of Directors
We now have our Waitī Waters Board in place, led by Adrienne Young-Cooper as the inaugural chair. Joining Adrienne on the Board are Clive Rundle, Jo Hayes, Maria Robertson and Sir Paul Collins. You can read more about the Directors on the Waitī Waters website Director Profiles | Waiti Waters.
The Board was appointed by the Stakeholders’ Forum (the representative body of the four shareholding Councils and iwi partners) and the Board brings extensive experience in infrastructure, public sector and water industry governance, commercial and financial capability plus strong connections to the region and its wider communities.
The Board is already underway with its work, making key decisions to keep the transition programme on track, and have been out and about around the four council areas, visiting water and wastewater treatment plants and connecting with the Councils’ staff and elected members.
Our Stakeholder Forum
What is the Stakeholders’ Forum? The Stakeholders’ Forum is our representative body of the four shareholding Councils and iwi partners Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu. Chaired by Masterton District Council Deputy Mayor Craig Bowyer, the forum has a total of six members. The Forum has three key roles – they appoint the Waitī Waters Board, develop the Statement of Expectations (which sets the direction for Waitī Waters for a ten-year period) and monitor the performance of the company on an ongoing basis. Having recently completed the appointment of the Board, the Forum’s priority right now is drafting the Statement of Expectations.
Stakeholder Forum Chair
Craig Bowyer
The Programme Team
The Waitī Waters Programme Team supports the Waitī Waters Board, the Stakeholder Forum and Councils, running the establishment of Waitī Waters and the transition of water
services from the four Councils. The team is led by Programme Director, Katherine Meerman and Programme Manager Pat Randles, with six workstream leads each responsible for leading a major part of the programme – Jetta Hikuroa (Governance, Regulatory and Partnerships), Mike Chatterley (Finance and Commercial), Jessie Larsen (Organisation,People and Change), Rebecca Chenery (Digital and Systems), Lee Cowan (Communications) and Tim Hammond (Operations and Service Delivery). The team is working closely alongside Council staff to prepare for day one of Waitī Waters operation on 1 July 2027.
What is the Statement
of Expectations?
The Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025 requires shareholders of a water organisation to develop a Statement of Expectations (SoE). Waitī Waters’ shareholders are the Carterton, Masterton, Tararua and South Wairarapa District Councils. The purpose of the SoE is to set out shareholders’ expectations of the water organisation and to inform and guide the Waitī Waters decisions and preparation of its Water Services Strategy, including its strategic priorities– these expectations must cover at least 10 consecutive financial years.
For more information, check out our website’s key documents page here.
Our People
Each newsletter, we will shine a spotlight on one our team working hard on the transition. First up, it’s our Board Chair, Adrienne Young-Cooper Adrienne Young-Cooper MSc, CFID (Chair) is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a seasoned professional company director with over 20 years of governance experience across infrastructure, transport, housing, and urban development. A Wairarapa-based director, she holds a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Canterbury and is a qualified planner.
Her governance career spans some of New Zealand’s most significant public entities, many of them as Chair, including Housing New Zealand, Hobsonville Land Company, Auckland Transport, New Zealand Transport Agency, Queenstown Airport Corporation, and Panuku Development Auckland. Adrienne has expertise in the establishment of new entities, having played key roles in founding the Auckland Regional Transport Authority, EcoWater, and the planning function for Auckland Council, and she brings deep knowledge of the water sector through her work with Watercare, EcoWater, and her governance involvement in New Plymouth District Council’s water services planning. As the former Chair of the Wairarapa Economic Development Forum and a Wairarapa ratepayer, she is strongly connected to the region WaitĪ Waters will serve.
Later in 2026
The development of the Water Services Strategy will get underway. Initial executive leadership appointments made.
September 2026
Expected start date for our new CEO.
Expected completion of regional capital investment programme.
August 2026
The Statement of Expectations is adopted by Councils which confirms what the Council shareholders and iwi partners expect to see Waitī Waters prioritise and deliver over the next ten years.
Moving forward, the Waitī Waters Board will now work together alongside Councils to establish the new organisation over the next 14 months and transition across Council water services, before it begins operations from 1 July 2027. The high-level transition plan for the next 14 months is set out in the four Councils’ Water Services Delivery Plans submitted to the government last year and available on the Waitī Waters website.
Next steps
May 2026
We have started our search for our new CEO and for a Waitī Waters head office location.
We have recently completed consultation with Council staff on staff transition guidelines which provide staff with information about the pathways to employment with Waitī Waters.
FAQ's
How big is Waitī Waters?
Waitī Waters will provide water services and infrastructure to about 25,000 connections across Wairarapa and Tararua. It will manage over 1,300km pipes, 31 water and wastewater treatment plants and deliver a capital investment programme of over $400m over the next 10 years.
How many Councils own Waitī Waters?
Four district Councils own Waitī Waters – Masterton District Council, Carterton District Council, Tararua District Council and South Wairarapa District Council.
Community support for Waitī Waters
The establishment of Waitī Waters was well supported by communities across the region during consultation last year – 88% South Wairarapa, 70% Carterton, 60% Masterton and 65% Tararua submitters supported the creation of a new regional water organisation.