Local Water Done Well

Napier’s water services — water supply (drinking water), wastewater, and stormwater — need to change. The way we do things now doesn’t meet new government rules and it’s too expensive to keep doing it the same way. We need to find a better way forward and we have three options for Napier’s future water services model: working together, going it alone or in-house.

New government rules mean all councils must:

• Provide safe and reliable drinking water.
  Taumata Arowai, the national water regulator, enforces new standards.
• Meet new stormwater and wastewater rules.
  New discharge and environmental standards will take effect in 2025.
• Prove financial sustainability.
  Water services must pay for themselves through fair charges that cover current and future needs.

Napier’s system does not meet these new rules and we need to fix that. We want to do it in the most affordable and effective way possible.

We have three options for how to manage water services in the future, and we need your feedback before we make a decision. No matter which option we choose, costs will go up. Early estimates show a regional water organisation (OPTION 1) will increase costs by 65% over five years, while going it alone (OPTION 2 or 3) could increase costs by 80%.

Your input will help us decide how to move forward.