What's next

The Government has announced its decision to push ahead with an "all in" approach to the Three Waters Reform. This will see the establishment of four publicly-owned water service entities.

Kāpiti will be part of Water Service Entity C. Our job now is to ensure that our community’s needs continue to be prioritised and met in the face of climate change and unprecedented growth.

---

Water Services Entities Bill

Public submissions to the Select Committee for the Water Services Entity Bill closed in July 2022. The Bill allows the Government to establish four water services entities to take on the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services across Aotearoa New Zealand from 1 July 2024.

Further legislation will be introduced later this year to enable the transfer of assets and liabilities from local authorities to the Water Services Entities and integrate the entities into other regulatory systems. Another piece of legislation will cover economic regulation and consumer protection, to ensure water services are reasonable and affordable. 

---

Three water upgrades and planning

We're currently advancing significant projects to deliver improved environmental outcomes and build capacity across our drinking water, wastewater and stormwater networks. $26.9 million was allocated in this year’s annual plan to support drinking water safety upgrades, improve our wastewater treatment infrastructure and address flood risks in our district.

There are several reasons why we’re pushing ahead with this critical work. We have traditionally invested heavily in our water management, security and infrastructure. This is a strategy that has served our community well. With our growing population and in the face of our changing climate, delaying or cancelling work is kicking the can down the road. We are committed to delivering the best outcomes for our community which means we can’t lose two years’ worth of work, especially as we don’t know how much of a priority Kāpiti infrastructure will be for the new entity.

There are also new and evolving standards we must continue to meet as a water supplier to remain compliant with Taumata Arowai, the new water services regulator for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Continuing to plan for the future through projects such as our Stormwater Management Framework and upgrade of the Waikanae Water Treatment Plant is our way of committing to and protecting the vision and aspirations of iwi and our community before we lose our ability to do so.

We expect Government will reimburse us appropriately for all debt relating to investment in water assets, including any incurred between now and transition on 1 July 2024.

See our funding page for more information.