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The Department of Internal Affairs approved our Water Services Delivery Plans in October 2025 – these plans set out the commitment of the four Councils, and Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu, to establish the new water company and the implementation plan. Councils required DIA approval to officially begin establishment work – the approval gave us the green light to proceed and provides confidence that we have a robust plan and can move forward to implementation.
Councils and iwi have agreed on the governance and oversight arrangements for the new company, finalising a Constitution and Shareholders’ Agreement in October 2025. They have established the Stakeholders’ Forum which is the representative group that will appoint the company Board, develop the Statement of Expectations, and monitor the performance of the company. The Forum is made up of six members – one from each Council and one from each iwi.
This year is going to be a busy one as we prepare to be operational next year, from 1 July 2027. We will keep you well informed on our progress, with regular updates available here.
The major milestones we have ahead include:
April 2026:
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New Board of Directors in place and company incorporated
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The Board sets the direction of the company and will oversee the transition alongside Councils. Once the Board is in place, we will complete incorporation of the company, and it will exist as its own legal entity.
May 2026:
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Start the search process for the new Chief Executive and the new office location
August 2026:
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Statement of Expectations confirmed
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This Statement of Expectations is required by legislation and is an important document that sets out the shareholders’ (Councils’) expectations of the new company. It will be developed by the Stakeholders’ Forum and will be the basis for monitoring the performance of the company going forward.
September 2026:
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Expected start date for new Chief Executive
Later in 2026:
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Water Services Strategy development underway
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Initial executive leadership team appointments made
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The Board sets the direction of the company and will oversee the transition alongside Councils. Once the Board is in place, we will complete incorporation of the company, and it will exist as its own legal entity
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Through this period, we will also be preparing the detail of everything that needs to transfer to the new company – including water assets, debt, resource consents, compliance obligations, existing contracts, services and operations and more.