Ruapehu and Whanganui District Councils have both this week adopted their Two Council Water Services Delivery Plan for the future management of drinking water, stormwater and wastewater services in the two districts. The plan has been prepared by officers following agreement by both councils to adopt a two council Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (WS-CCO) in July.

The adoption of the plan is the next step in central government’s Local Water Done Well reform process, aimed at addressing concerns about New Zealand’s water quality and water services’ infrastructure investment, while keeping decision-making over water services and assets local.

The two councils will now submit their final plan to central government by the 3 September deadline. If approved, implementation of the new model will begin later this year, with the expectation that a jointly owned Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (WS-CCO) could be established by mid-2026 and fully operational by mid-2027.

Ruapehu District Council chief executive Clive Manley said the plan provides a roadmap for delivering high-quality water services in our two districts.

“Council officers will now work together to deliver on our implementation plan to create a WS-CCO that will deliver the best outcomes for our community with affordability at the forefront of our considerations,” he says.

At the same meeting, Ruapehu District Council has also agreed that, when the WS-CCO is established, it will transfer service delivery and urban stormwater assets related to the network outside the road corridor within the urban areas of the district.

Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford acknowledges the efforts of staff in preparing the Two Council Water Services Delivery Plan.

“I want to thank staff of both councils who have worked tirelessly under tight timeframes to prepare this plan. At the same time, thanks to our operational teams, who continue to deliver high-quality water services across both districts every day,” he says.

The first step towards implementation of the plan once approved, will be the recruitment of an establishment team and agreement on a vision and values for the new entity, embedding a Te Awa Tupua approach into the project structures.

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