Water Services Reform

Over the past six years central and local government have been considering solutions to challenges facing the regulation and delivery of three waters services (water, wastewater and stormwater). In 2020, a reform programme called ‘Three Waters Reforms’ was launched, to address challenges in the water sector such as:

• The need for better collaboration and partnership with mana whenua and tangata whenua

• Historic underinvestment in water infrastructure and assets nearing their end-oflife

• Incidents and concerns related to water quality and safety (like the 2016 Havelock North contamination incident), and

• Inconsistency in service and standards across the motu.

Originally, the reform programme was working towards the establishment of four new entities from 1 July 2024. These four entities were to take over the day-to-day delivery of water services from the 67 councils that currently manage it. You’ve probably heard and read coverage of this in the media over the last few years.

In April this year, while most in Hawke’s Bay were focussed on cyclone recovery, a ‘reset’ to the programme was announced. Instead of four entities, the Department of Internal Affairs and its dedicated National Transition Unit are now working towards the establishment of ten entities with rolling go-live dates between 1 July 2024 and 1 July 2026.

Practically, that means the water services currently delivered by Napier City Council will transfer over to a Water Services Entity that covers Tairāwhiti, Wairoa, Ahuriri, Heretaunga and Central Hawke’s Bay. The naming has also shifted from ‘Three Waters’ to ‘Water Services Reforms’ for those of you scratching your heads about the changes in language.

As at August 2023, we’re still awaiting clarity about what date the Hawke’s Bay entity will be established, along with details like who will head up the local establishment unit, where the entity will be based geographically, and exactly how services will be split between the new entity, councils, contractors and our partners. We will update you as we learn more. In the meantime, if you want to understand more about what’s involved and how this will impact iwi, hapū and PSGEs, check out the reforms webpage: waterservicesreform.govt.nz