A milestone in future water service delivery was reached today, with Rotorua Lakes Council, Kawerau District Council, Whakatāne District Council and Ōpōtiki District Council confirming their shared commitment to work together to investigate a joint operating model for delivering water services to their communities.
Mayors and Chief Executives from the four councils came together at the inaugural meeting of the regional Joint Waters Working Group to sign a Heads of Agreement to investigate the potential development of a combined multi-council Water Service Delivery entity. This follows a Government approved water services delivery plan and will reflect the needs, culture and values of their communities.
Rotorua Mayor and chair of today’s Joint Waters Working Group, Tania Tapsell, says councils across New Zealand have been required to determine how they will deliver water services under the Government’s Local Water Done Well legislation.
“It’s been a long journey since Three Waters debates, but the Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum set the groundwork for the conversations that need to happen.
“In the Bay of Plenty we all want the same outcome - delivering the best future water services for our districts in a way that meets the needs and values of our individual communities and also the Governments requirements.”
All four councils have their own individual Water Services Delivery Plans approved, each outlining a staged approach to future service delivery which will see them providing services in-house and making decisions in 2026/27 for the longer-term delivery of these services. This enables the Regional Joint Waters Working Group to investigate the potential establishment of a multi-council water services council-controlled organisation (WSCCO) for long-term delivery.
“We weren’t prepared to rush our communities through this important decision and remain focused on providing certainty for our individual water services customers in the meantime,” says Mayor Tapsell.
Under a potential WSCCO model, Councils would retain full ownership through shares with a professional board governing the organisation with elected members providing input through an annual Statement of Expectation.
The WSCCO would adhere to existing relationship commitments to mana whenua, and all formal agreements between councils, iwi and hapū would be honoured.
The WSCCO would set pricing and invoice customers directly, with all pricing subject to regulation by the Commerce Commission.
The collaborative nature of this work means the role of chair and meeting host will rotate among members of the Working Group, with a different council taking the lead for each meeting.
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Pictured (left to right) Ōpōtiki Deputy Mayor Maude Maxwell, Whakatāne District Council CE Steven Perdia, Whakatāne Mayor Nandor Tanczos, Ōpōtiki District Council CE Stace Lewer, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell, Rotorua Lakes Council CE Andrew Moraes, Kawerau Mayor Faylene Tunui and Kawerau District Council CE Morgan Godfery.
Kawerau District Council Water Services Delivery Plan approved
On 3 September 2025, Kawerau District Council adopted its Water Services Delivery Plan which establishes a clear direction for the delivery, maintenance, and enhancement of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services across the district under the Government’s Local Water Done Well framework. The plan sets out the intended service delivery models and associated investment requirements for Drinking Water, Wastewater and Stormwater services to be delivered in-house by the Council.
Council's plan was accepted on 29 October 2025 by the Secretary for Local Government Paul James which means Council will continue to deliver three waters services to the community via an internal or in-house business unit. The plan adheres to legislation that outlines how the community is charged for Three Waters via rates resulting in increases to the targeted rates for water and wastewater.
More details are available here about Kawerau's Water Services Delivery Plan, read the acceptance letter, and view Kawerau District Council's performance with other councils on the government's performance measurement framework.
Learn More about Local Water Done Well, which is the legislation set up to improve three waters infrastructure across Aotearoa, including Kawerau District Council's consultation with the community in April/May 2025.