New Water Organisation Tiaki Wai Appoints Chief Executive

The Board of Tiaki Wai Metro Water (Tiaki Wai) has appointed Michael Brewster as Chief Executive to lead the new organisation which will take responsibility for three waters services in the metropolitan Wellington area from 1 July next year.

Michael Brewster is a former Chief Executive in both the water and electricity sectors in Australia as well as working for New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs in the earlier Three Waters Reform programme.

Michael is currently a private consultant based in Perth but will be moving to Wellington to take up the role in late February next year.

Board chair Will Peet says Tiaki Wai is a big business which will have assets with a replacement value of about $18 billion and an annual budget starting at around $450 million in the 2026/27 year.

“Michael is the right person for the challenge of leading a new organisation to deliver improved services and results for our communities,” says Mr Peet.

“His experience in the former Three Waters programme leading the set-up of what was known as Entity D means he has a strong understanding of the New Zealand water services environment.”

“We have a massive job ahead of us to catch up on overdue maintenance in our networks, as well as investing for future growth and resilience.

“Tiaki Wai will be well placed to deliver improvements to the people of our region, because the new structure councils and mana whenua have agreed to means we will have more flexibility to decide what needs to be done and when, set budgets and raise revenue.

“It will take time to make all the improvements we know our communities want. We will have to balance the need for investment with affordability for our communities. We also have to build new systems that do not currently exist in Wellington Water to manage customer interactions, finances, and assets.

“Our Establishment Team is working closely with Wellington Water and councils towards a smooth transition, and we look forward to Michael bringing his knowledge and experience to this important programme” says Mr Peet.

Michael Brewster says he is excited about the opportunity.

“From my experience at TasWater, I know how vital reliable, safe, and high-quality water, stormwater, and wastewater services are for communities and industry. I look forward to combining my experience in water reform with local knowledge for the benefit of Tiaki Wai’s customers, owners, partners, and employees.

“Building strong relationships with shareholding councils and mana whenua partners will be a key priority,” says Mr Brewster.

Note:

Wellington Water, under current Chief Executive Pat Dougherty, will continue to be responsible for delivery of water services including day to day operations until the end of June 2026.

Incoming Tiaki Wai Chief Executive Michael Brewster will focus on setting Tiaki Wai up for success and working towards a smooth transition.

On 1 July 2026, Tiaki Wai will absorb Wellington Water, water assets will be transferred from councils to Tiaki Wai, and the new organisation will become responsible for the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and piped stormwater services to people in the metropolitan Wellington area.

MICHAEL BREWSTER PROFILE 

Michael Brewster is an experienced infrastructure leader with a career spanning Tasmania’s energy and water sectors and New Zealand’s water reforms programme.

He served as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of TasWater from 2013 to 2022, overseeing $3 billion in assets, 180 treatment plants, 128 drinking water dams, and 900 employees. In this role, he led the merger of three former regional water businesses and a central service provider, which had recently been formed from 29 councils and three bulk water providers, into a single statewide organisation. The merger was followed by the transformation of the new entity into a modern regulated water business with a focus on safety, customer service, safe drinking water and improved environmental outcomes. This involved a rapid expansion of the capital programme, increasing efficiency, adopting new technologies and building new ways of working to address long standing legacy infrastructure issues.

In 2023 Michael joined New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs as Chief Executive ‘Entity D’ on the previous three waters programme. He was responsible for the establishment of the new ‘Entity D’, proposed to cover the Ngāi Tahu takiwa (all of the South Island excluding Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman). Michael worked closely with other DIA employees, Ngāi Tahu and councils as part of the process to stand up the new entity. While the new entity did not proceed, it gave Michael unique insights into the opportunities and challenges associated with reforming New Zealand’s water sector.

Michael is also the former Chief Executive of the Tasmanian Electricity Reform Business Transition Group, a temporary organisation set up to lead the strategic reshaping of Tasmania’s electricity businesses. He has also held a range of Chief Executive and senior executive roles in the electricity and engineering consulting industries, with a particular emphasis on growth and transformation. In addition, he is a former State Planning Commissioner and part time university lecturer in Project Management.

Michael is a past Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Chartered Engineer (Electrical) and President of Engineers Australia, Tasmania Division.

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