Hamilton City and Waikato District Councils are the first in the country to have a joint plan for the future of their communities’ water services formally approved.
The plan has been given the official tick by the Secretary for Local Government, Paul James. Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate and Waikato District Mayor Jacqui Church said formal approval cleared the way for much-needed increased investment in essential water infrastructure.
That investment in shared water services is $3.6 billion over ten years. Management of, and responsibility for, this investment is transitioning to IAWAI - Flowing Waters, the councils’ jointly owned company formed this month. The company will be fully operational from July 2026.
The plan future-proofs the delivery of services for around 280,000 people through 91,000 connections across the two council areas.
“We are making a massive investment in core water infrastructure with 67% of that spend driven by growth. It is a stark illustration of the challenges ‘growth councils’ like ours face and it is critical to enable housing and businesses and ensure safe drinking water,” Mayor Southgate said.
Church noted that over the next decade, the joint waters plan would respond to a predicted 22% increase in households or businesses needing water services.
“These core investments in infrastructure have been well signalled and planned and are already budgeted. Our new company structure will allow us to deliver a lot more in terms of critical water projects. Put simply, it means we can get more done faster, and for less,” Mayor Church said.
All councils are required by the Government to submit Water Services Delivery Plans by early September. They must show how local authorities will deliver water services, meet environmental and health regulations, make the right investments at the right time, and secure enough revenue and debt to do the work planned. Plans must keep up with growth and be financially sustainable.
Hamilton City and Waikato District Councils submitted their joint plan in early July.
“It was a huge amount of work for our staff to get a very comprehensive joint plan in for approval, very quickly. They did a fantastic job,” Mayor Southgate said.
Church said councils had led “proactively, with purpose and at pace”.
“There is a massive challenge ahead and we want IAWAI – Flowing Waters to hit the ground running and deliver for our communities.”
Already both councils have delegated some strategic water projects to IAWAI - Flowing Waters. In June the councils announced the company’s first ever Board of Directors. Former Wellington City Council chief executive Kevin Lavery was named Executive Chair with Tim Manukau (Tainui Waka) and former Watercare chief executive Dave Chambers making up a three-person Establishment Board.
Lavery was appointed for two years and will effectively manage the company until a chief executive is appointed later this year. All waters activity across both councils, plus around 270 council staff, will be transferred to the company on 30 June next year.
The Board of Directors, along with a small IAWAI establishment team largely made up of staff seconded from both councils were formally welcomed to their role with a poowhiri at the Waikato Endowed College this morning.
The Water Services Delivery Plan can be viewed on the Waikato District and Hamilton City Council websites.
