Council agrees preferred option for Local Water Done Well consultation

Published on 04 April 2025

The Waitaki District Mayor and Councillors today agreed upon a preferred option for consultation with the community for the future of Water Services Delivery as part of the Government’s Local Water Done Well reform programme.

The Mayor and Councillors were provided with new modelling by Morrison Low on the viability of an In House Business Unit, External Council owned CCO and a joint CCO with three other Southern Councils – Central Otago, Clutha and Gore – in a proposed partnership under the name Southern Water Done Well.

This is different to the modelling for an Otago/Southland option which was explored in 2024, but did not progress. That modelling was the basis for Councils earlier Long Term Plan consultation questions regarding water services.

The modelling also accounts for the contents of the current Local Government (Water Services) Bill which is currently before Parliament, that provided further information on the role of the Commerce Commission.

This also made it clear that there is no ‘status-quo’ option for Council, water services cannot be delivered as they are – as the legal and regulatory framework for both water delivery, infrastructure, investment and charge – as well as the debt required to meet these, would exceed Councils ability to meet.

The bill also includes additional consultation requirements not contained in the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024.

This requires Council to conduct a consultation on the options presented today, before making a decision and providing a Water Services Delivery Plan to the Department of Internal Affairs by September 3 2025.

Council also directed the Chief Executive to explore including a fourth option on the consultation, a potential partnership with Timaru, Mackenzie and Waimate. While there is some modelling of this undertaken in early March, there has not been commitment to a similar partnership or project collaboration like the Southern Water Done Well group of Councils, and it lacks the more detailed modelling resulting from that partnership.

Waitaki District Council will be providing further information on this consultation and the Government’s water reforms legislation later this month, ahead of a proposed consultation opening on May 6 2025 and closing on June 9 2025.

ENDS