Timeline
Over the past few years, the Government has been considering how three water services (drinking water, wastewater and stormwater) should best be regulated and delivered in New Zealand.
Latest news
December 2024
Council approved at its Council Meeting on December 5 to include in its draft Water Services Delivery Plan the following options:
- Status quo (water services delivered in house.
- Single Council - Council Controlled Organisation
- Multi Council - Council Controlled Organisation
The draft plan will be developed and consulted on with the public before the final plan is submitted to Central Government by the September 2025 deadline.
Council is also working with other Councils to further develop the detail required to support a multi council CCO Water Services Delivery Plan.
November 2024
The Otago and Southland Local Waters Done Well working group commissioned Morrison Low to explore regional delivery models for three waters services in Otago and Southland.
The report includes the current state assessment, key challenges at a regional level, onn-financial assessment of service delivery options, financial assessment of service delivery options, investment requirements, borrowing requirements, the impact on customer three waters charges and alternative scenarios (ICC/QLDC out and Urban councils out)
Read the Otago-Southland Local Water Done Well review report.
5 April 2024
An announcement was made outlining Cabinet's agreed key steps to implement 'Local Water Done Well', the Coalition Government's plan for financially sustainable, locally delivered water infrastructure and services.
14 December 2023
The government announced a new direction for New Zealand's three waters services.
April 2023
The Government has now announced major changes to water reforms having listened to feedback from local government.
There will be 10 entities now, not 4, and for Clutha it means we will be in an Otago/Southland entity minus Waitaki.
Secondly the timeframes have changed from July 2024 until July 2026. This has implications for long term planning.
Council will be working through all of the implications of the announcement but we should remember that it is still the intention by the Government to lock in 3 waters delivery by entities rather than by Councils.
- 10 new regionally owned and led public water entities to be established.
- New approach avoids a rates blow out and delivers savings to households between $2,770-$5,400 per year by 2054.
- Entities will be owned by local councils on behalf of the public, and entity borders to be based on existing regional areas.
- Each entity to be run by a professional board, with members appointed on competency and skill.
- Strategic oversight and direction to be provided by local representative groups with every local council in the country, as well as mana whenua, getting a seat at the table.
More information:
