Council grapples with the options for future water services delivery

As councils across the Wellington region deliberate how drinking water, wastewater and stormwater (the ‘three waters’) services will be delivered in the future, Kāpiti Coast District Councillors held an open workshop today on what options are available under the Government’s Local Water Done Well reform.    

Mayor Janet Holborow says the Council has been carrying out detailed analysis and is committed to ensuring the outcome is a water service delivery model that works best for the district now and into the future.    

“Through our various engagements our community has been very clear with us about the need to ensure our three waters assets, assets that the community has invested heavily in over the years, remain in public ownership.   

“We’ve also heard that retaining local priorities in decision-making and ensuring three waters services remain cost effective and responsive to community needs is important.   

“There are a range of factors to be considered and some of the options shared with us today have their merits and warrant further consideration,” Mayor Holborow says.  

The Government’s Local Water Done Well reform requires all councils to meet stricter regulations on the quality, financial sustainability, and environmental impact of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services.   

In addition to retaining three waters asset management and service delivery in-house, Council is exploring various delivery models for water services. These include the possibility of standing up a standalone council-controlled organisation or joining forces with other councils to create a joint water services organisation.   

Mayor Holborow says Kāpiti is in a strong position going into these decisions, but it's important to think long-term.  

“While we do have a good track record of managing our three waters assets and delivering quality water services to our community, we also have aging infrastructure that will need replacing and are facing increasing cost pressures in the face of climate change and unprecedented growth,” says the Mayor.  

“Local Water Done Well requires us to adopt a future-focussed water service delivery model that will be subject to more stringent economic, environmental and water quality regulation requirements and this means change is required – retaining the status quo is not an option.  

“It is important that we take the time to fully understand both the pros and cons of the options available to us, including the cost of delivering three water services to our community, before we make any decisions.”  

Council is meeting on Thursday 28 November to decide whether to continue with the proposed regional approach to a joint water services delivery plan and delivery model.  

Mayor Holborow says that irrespective of where Council lands on 28 November there will be opportunities for people to provide feedback on Council’s preferred three waters service delivery options early next year.  

All councils are required to submit water service delivery plans to the Government by September 2025.