Local Water Done Well

In June, Hauraki District Council confirmed a unanimous ‘head and heart’ decision to go with the Waikato Water Done Well (WWDW) sub-regional Council Controlled Organisation for the future delivery of water and wastewater services in the district.

The CCO was established in July 2025 with three District Councils, South Waikato, Waipā and Waitomo transferring in from 1 July 2026, Matamata-Piako transferring in from 1 October 2026 and then Hauraki and Ōtorohanga transferring in from 1 July 2027.

Economies of Scale and Service Efficiencies

Mayor Toby Adams thanked everyone involved for the huge workload that went into this decision and the considered feedback received from the community following public consultation in May 2025.

“We crunched the numbers and we’re confident that this decision to form a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) with other Councils in the Waikato catchment area will give the economies of scale and service efficiencies we need for our communities going forward. Holistically, it’s also the right approach for managing waterways as a whole in the Waikato”, he said.

Waikato Water Done Well

Seven Waikato Councils signed a Heads of Agreement in 2024 to explore a sub-regional CCO under the banner of Waikato Water Done Well, as one option for the management of water services to meet the requirements of central government’s Local Water Done Well policy. After public consultations in each district, the seven councils all confirmed the Waikato Water Done Well model as their preferred option, with Taupō District Council confirming a staged approach for joining the CCO.

Delivery of drinking water and wastewater services will shift from shareholding councils to the CCO in a phased approach from July 2026.

Waikato Waters Limited (Waikato Waters) (WWL)

Waikato Waters was incorporated on 24 July 2025 with the founding shareholding councils being:

1. Hauraki District Council
2. South Waikato District Council
3. Waipā District Council
4. Taupō District Council
5. Waitomo District Council
6. Matamata-Piako District Council
7. Ōtorohanga District Council

HDC’s Chief Executive, David Speirs says that this decision has been a long time coming, due to many things out of Hauraki’s control and it feels good to be able to move forward with increased certainty.

“We will continue to deliver a seamless water services experience for our communities and team, as well as work with the new CCO, and other participating Councils, to ensure the HDC transfer is smooth and as non-disruptive as possible”, he said.

HDC’s delivery of drinking and wastewater services, assets and liabilities, will move to the CCO on 1 July 2027. Stormwater management will remain with Council.

HDC 16% shareholder of Waikato Waters Ltd

The Waikato Water Ltd share allocation is proportional to the number of Total Water Connections within each Service Area. Shares cannot be sold or transferred, or used as security for any purpose. Hauraki District Council will have a 16% share in Waikato Waters.

The CCO will manage the drinking water and wastewater service delivery (including assets and liabilities) of its shareholding councils.

Waikato Water Done Well Board of Directors

As part of the Local Government (Water Services) legislation, the Board and Board Chair of Waikato Waters is to be independent of Council, they cannot be an elected member of a Council that is a shareholder in the company, nor can they be an employee of any shareholding Council or Waikato Waters. They must also be appointed on the basis of their competency to perform the role and have an appropriate mix of skills, knowledge and experience in relation to providing water services.

• Recruitment is currently underway for the independent Board of Directors with appointments expected to be announced in late August / September 2025.
• The CCO does not yet have a Chief Executive. This recruitment will be led by the Board.
• Until the independent board is in place, the directors of Waikato Waters will be the chief executives of the six confirmed transferring councils. This is a requirement for the transition period only.

Shareholders Representative Forum (SRF)

Council will continue to have a say in relation to the company and its priorities via a Shareholders Representative Forum (SRF) for which the Mayor is our representative and the Deputy Mayor is our alternative representative. The SRF is responsible for appointing the Board and issuing them with a Statement of Expectations (SOE). The draft SOE is expected to be completed by approx. June 2026 and confirmed by consensus by mid-December 2026. The SRF convened for their inaugural meeting on 28 July 2025.

Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP)

Now that the future water services delivery model is agreed upon, Council can finalise the Water Services Delivery Plan that must be presented to Government by 3 September 2025.

The plan will provide an assessment of Council’s water infrastructure, how much investment is needed and how Council plans to finance and deliver it through the CCO.

Council has been developing the plan for several months and presented it at the 30 July 2025 Council meeting for Council’s consideration and adoption. The plan will be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) in mid-August, in conjunction with the WSDP’s from the other shareholding Councils and an overarching document from Waikato Waters.

The DIA will assess all aspects of Plans against legislative requirements, with a focus on identifying any risks or issues that may impact the ability of the Secretary to accept a Plan. Once accepted, the plan will be published on the DIA website with the assessment report.

The Assessment Report

After assessment, the DIA Plan Review Panel, which includes senior leads from key government agencies involved in Local Water Done Well, will review recommendations from the Plan assessment process, to make a recommendation to the Secretary of Local Government. By the end of December 2025, the DIA expects to have notified all councils of the decision on their Plan.

This decision will give Councils and the CCO the mandate to implement their Water Services Delivery Plan once all recommendations have been met.

I have a question

Please email lwdw@hauraki-dc.govt.nz and we will respond as soon as possible.