What it will mean for Kāpiti

The Three Waters Reform Programme will significantly change the way critical water services are delivered in our district.

In Kāpiti we've invested a lot in our water management, security and infrastructure for our community and the environment. Find out how our water supply works in Kāpiti.

Our water-related assets together have a value of $384.4 million (30 June 2022), which is 36 percent of Council’s total assets.

Because of this investment, we're well-positioned for the future. A recent Auditor-General’s report, Managing the supply of and demand for drinking water, shows we're setting a good example with our future-focused approach to supplying drinking water.

The establishment of publicly owned water service entities will effectively remove our responsibility for maintaining critical water infrastructure and services. Control over these assets and services will be transferred to Entity G. As the new entity will require a skilled and capable workforce, it also means a portion of our people will transfer their employment over to the new entity by 1 July 2026. 

Currently, local residents pay for three waters through their rates. Most properties in Kāpiti have water meters, and are charged for the water they use. Water rates help pay for water collection and treatment facilities, our water supply network (eg, fixing, upgrading and replacing pipes) and water conservation measures.

Ratepayers will continue to pay for the delivery of these services under the new Water Services Entities model. At the moment we're unclear what this looks like, and we'll have very limited control of how much our residents will be charged for their water services.

As further taxpayer funding has not been committed, it's likely that Kāpiti residents will subsidise future investment in other districts where there is an infrastructure deficit.