Council has confirmed we will join other Waikato councils in establishing Waikato Water Done Well - a new, jointly owned Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) to deliver drinking water and wastewater services across the region.

The decision follows a three-week public consultation process held in May, where the community was invited to provide feedback on two proposed service delivery models. The Waikato Water Done Well option, our preferred approach, was supported by the majority of submitters and received the strongest backing from a strategic and financial perspective.

“This has been a massive piece of work to date, and while this decision is a significant milestone, there's still a lot of work to be done,” says Mayor Adrienne. “Our goal throughout has been to futureproof essential services while putting our community and staff first. While we (the councils participating in Waikato Water Done Well) are all okay in the short term, it's the risk in the long term that's contributing to us needing to do things differently."

The new CCO will be jointly owned and governed by participating councils, with local voices retained through shareholder agreements and clear lines of accountability. We will continue to deliver stormwater services in-house.

Regional collaboration

We are one of several councils across the region to commit to joining Waikato Water Done Well, along with South Waikato, Taupō, Ōtorohanga, and Hauraki. Waipā and Waitomo are undertaking their formal decision-making processes soon.

Why the change?

Under the Government’s Local Water Done Well reform programme, councils across New Zealand are required to decide how water services will be delivered in future - and to prepare a Water Services Delivery Plan by September 2025.

We considered five possible models before narrowing down to two for consultation: an enhanced internal business unit, or a multi-council owned CCO.

Following community feedback and detailed assessment, Council concluded that Waikato Water Done Well offers greater long-term financial sustainability, the ability to make savings when delivering planned infrastructure (as outlined in the Long Term Plan), better operational resilience, and a more coordinated response to new regulatory requirements.

“We know we can’t deliver the same efficiencies or scale by going it alone," says Chief Executive Manaia Te Wiata. "This decision reflects a realistic assessment of what it will take to keep delivering safe, compliant, and affordable water and wastewater services well into the future.”

Next steps

The next step is preparing for the transition to the new water services organisation. Waikato Waters Limited will be formally incorporated in August 2025 to begin the groundwork required to move water and wastewater services from councils to a fully operating entity by mid 2026.