What’s happening

Waipā District Council is transferring the delivery of drinking water and wastewater services to Waikato Waters Limited (WWL) from July 1, 2026. By working with other Waikato councils, Waipā can share expertise, resources, and knowledge to better manage ageing infrastructure, rising costs, regulatory pressures, and extreme weather events.

The decision to transfer water Waipā’s waters assets, infrastructure and workforce was confirmed on February 25, 2026, with Council adopting the Water Services Transfer Agreement. Read the full media release here.

What does this mean for our community?

• Water will continue to flow, and toilets will still flush — day-to-day services remain unchanged. The main change is who delivers these services.
• Recent extreme weather has shown how quickly water services and communities can be affected. This regional approach strengthens resilience and helps services respond effectively to unpredictable events.
• Stormwater services remain with Council for now. Recent legislative changes mean we’ll take more time to decide the best long-term approach for stormwater.

Why this decision?

Water services face growing challenges across New Zealand, including:

• Ageing infrastructure
• Rising costs
• Increasing demand
• New regulations
• Climate change

What’s changing — and what’s not

• Waikato Waters will manage drinking water and wastewater delivery from 1 July 2026. Waikato Waters is a newly established council-controlled organisation.
• For households and businesses, day-to-day services will remain the same - taps will still flow and loos will still flush.
• Information on how services are managed and billed will be shared over coming months. We’ll let you know what’s happening and when, what’s changing and what’s not. But for now, nothing changes.
• Council retains strategic oversight and local community influence through governance and shareholding arrangements. 

Waikato Waters Limited, previously know as Waikato Water Done Well, is a water services delivery model developed to meet the requirements of the Government's Local Water Done Well legislation.

Seven councils - Waipā, Matamata-Piako, Hauraki, Ōtorohanga, Waitomo, South Waikato, and Taupō - have teamed up to form Waikato Waters Limited (WWL), a council-controlled organisation (CCO).

WWL will take over local water services in phased stages between 2026 and 2027.

From July 1, 2026, Waipā, Waitomo, and South Waikato District Councils will transfer their water assets and day-to-day water operations to WWL.

Why does this change matter?

The way we manage water is evolving to prepare for the future. Through Waikato Waters Limited, councils can deliver services that are safer, more reliable, and built for long-term sustainability. For Waipā, this is an opportunity to strengthen resilience and efficiency - while keeping communities at the heart of every decision

Local Water Done Well

After the previous government’s Three Waters legislation was repealed in 2023, the coalition government introduced Local Water Done Well (LWDW) in 2024, supported by the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024.

LWDW was developed in response to issues highlighted by the 2017 Havelock North water contamination inquiry, which revealed significant nationwide risks in the management of drinking water. The new framework aims to strengthen long term infrastructure planning and ensure water services meet national health, environmental and regulatory standards. It also updates investment, borrowing and pricing rules.

As part of these changes, councils were required to prepare a Water Services Delivery Plan. You can read Waipā’s plan on the next tab

Waikato Water Done Well – now Waikato Waters Limited.

In response to Local Water Done Well, seven Waikato councils — Waipā, Matamata Piako, Hauraki, Ōtorohanga, Waitomo, South Waikato and Taupō — partnered with mana whenua to develop a regional water service model known as Waikato Water Done Well, now Waikato Waters Ltd (WWL).

Council’s decision to join Waikato Waters followed extensive public consultation in May–June 2025 (at the time, WWL was known as Waikato Water Done Well).

Three options were considered:

• joining WWL
• forming a sub‑regional partnership
• continuing to deliver services independently

The WWL option received the strongest support across 108 submissions and 20 engagement events. Key themes included affordability, maintaining a local voice, partnership with mana whenua, and concerns about potential privatisation.

On Friday, July 18 2025, Council unanimously agreed to join WWL and adopted its Water Services Delivery Plan.

Transition planning is now well underway, with a dedicated programme team preparing our assets, people, systems and services for transfer.

What is a Water Services Delivery Plan?

A Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP) is a required plan under the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024. It shows how a council will provide safe, reliable drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services now and into the future. The plan explains what infrastructure is needed, how much investment is required, how it will be funded, and how national standards will be met while supporting community growth.

Waipā’s Water Services Delivery Plan

Waipā's Water Services Delivery Plan sets out how Waipā will deliver sustainable, compliant water services under the Government’s Local Water Done Well framework. It confirms Council’s decision to join Waikato Waters Limited (a council-controlled organisation established by Waipā, Matamata-Piako, Hauraki, Ōtorohanga, Waitomo, South Waikato and Taupō District Council) to deliver drinking water and wastewater services across the region. The plan explains how this regional model keeps services publicly owned, builds resilience, and enables long-term investment while retaining a strong local voice.

Stay informed with the latest updates featured in the newsletters.

December 2025: WWL Newsletter Kōrero Wai

September 2025: WWL Newsletter Kōrero Wai

August 2025: WWL Newsletter Kōrero Wai

Who's involved?

Seven councils - Waipā, Matamata-Piako, Hauraki, Ōtorohanga, Waitomo, South Waikato, and Taupō - are teaming up to form Waikato Waters Limited (WWL).

What’s happening and when?

Councils will move their water services to WWL in stages throughout 2026-2027:

• Waipā, Waitomo, and South Waikato – 1 July 2026: These councils will transfer their water assets and day-to-day water operations to WWL.
• Matamata-Piako – 1 October 2026: Matamata-Piako will follow later in 2026, completing a similar transfer process.
• Ōtorohanga and Hauraki – 1 July 2027: These councils will transition in 2027.
• Taupō: Taupō will remain a shareholder in WWL but will continue delivering water services itself for now, while collaborating with WWL on shared projects.

Frequently asked questions