South Wairarapa District Council’s (SWDC) elected members have voted that their preferred option to deliver South Wairarapa’s water services intSouth Wairarapa District Council’s (SWDC) elected members have voted that their preferred option to deliver South Wairarapa’s water services into the future is a Wairarapa-Tararua multi-council Council-Controlled Organisation (CCO).

SWDC consulted with the community between 7 March and 6 April 2025 on their preference of two water service delivery options. The first, a joint Wairarapa-Tararua multi-council CCO alongside Carterton, Masterton and Tararua District Councils, or to remain with our existing approach. Of the 135 submissions received, 119 (88%) supported the multi-council CCO, and the remaining 12% (16) to keep with the existing approach.

Elected members were satisfied that the community, in submitting their preference on the options, had a good understanding of the implications of their preference. Themes of local delivery and accountability, trust and financial sustainability came through in the submissions.

Councillor Colin Olds, Deputy Chair of the Advisory Oversight Group shared that today was a milestone day. “I’m delighted that we reached this point after navigating so much uncertainty with water reform.

“The huge amount of work and effort that has been put into this project is to be commended. I’m particularly grateful for the valuable guidance and advice that the four-council project team has delivered to get us here.

“Today’s resolution sets in place a pathway for the councils to continue collaborating to ensure better outcomes for our communities.”

Under the multi-council CCO model, Wairarapa – Tararua would have access to higher debt limits, enabling the financing of critical renewals, upgrades and capacity improvements which will improve the quality of water services for the community. Other advantages of the Wairarapa – Tararua option include:

• Building local economic capacity and jobs for local businesses due to the establishment of a new local infrastructure organisation
• Enabling scale and efficiency opportunities in the provision of water services, which over time will reduce costs for the community

For South Wairarapa District Council, the service level implications for a multi-council CCO are that water services would meet legal requirements and water services that are planned over the long-term would improve due to scope and scale efficiencies.

“Local Water Done Well reform is a huge piece of work and it doesn’t stop today. There’s a lot of design and questions to be answered in time, but for now, we eagerly await the votes of our neighbours,” Deputy Mayor Melissa Sadler-Futter said.

Carterton, Masterton and Tararua District Councils will make their decisions following their deliberations in the coming weeks. Under legislation, Councils must prepare a Water Services Delivery Plan and Implementation Plan by 3 September 2025. 

Ends

Media contact

Email – media@swdc.govt.nz