MEDIA RELEASE
6 August 2026

The mihi whakatau brought everyone together to formerly welcome Paul into the organisation and marks an important milestone for Waitī Waters as it prepares to take over the water, wastewater and storm water services of the four Councils; Tararua, South Wairarapa, Masterton and Carterton, on 1 July 2027.

Those attending the mihi whakatau included representatives of local iwi and partners in the establishment of Waitī Waters, Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu; stakeholder forum members plus mayors and chief executives from the four partner Councils; Waitī Waters board members and staff; and transition programme director and managers.

Paul recently returned to live in New Zealand, moving to Greytown, following a successful career throughout Middle East and North Africa for the past two decades. Making the move back home was based on him finding a role with a strong sense of community and service for him to step into, he says.

“To be working on the establishment and then operations of Waitī Waters truly is a great space to be in. I am thrilled to be part of it and be working with the incredible team I have around me,” he says.

“Already I know that despite the incredible amount of work we have before us to get everything in place for the transition deadline of July next year, we are creating an organisation that will be an asset to our four districts and create a legacy for strong infrastructure and solid investment in our water services.”

“To have such a warm welcome here just completes what has been quite the journey to come back home to New Zealand. Now Waitī Waters has its own journey to undertake. The groundwork is being done, the establishment phase is going very well and now we are heading into the finer detail to make sure we can do our best for our wider communities with this transition.”

ENDS

For further information, contact:
Hannah Blake
hannah@avaloncommunications.co.nz