MEDIA RELEASE: Three new independent board members have been confirmed today for IAWAI, the Waikato’s first joint council-owned waters organisation.
IAWAI - Flowing Waters Ltd is 100% owned by Hamilton City and Waikato District councils and is partnered with Waikato-Tainui. From 1 July 2026, the new organisation is responsible for water and wastewater services in those council regions and will deliver stormwater services on behalf of the shareholding councils.
Board appointments are made by a nine-member IAWAI Forum made up of representatives of the shareholding councils and Waikato-Tainui.
Chair of the IAWAI Forum, Jaydene Kana, announced the new appointees as Hinerangi Raumati-Tu'ua, Jennifer Kerr and Tim Gibson. They join current board members Kevin Lavery (chair), Tim Manukau and Dave Chambers.
Jaydene Kana says the individual and combined skills of the new appointees will further strengthen the decision-making of the new organisation.
“IAWAI represents a new era for water services and a clear expectation to bring innovation, efficiency and above all sustainability to the assets and services we manage.
“Our councils, on behalf of our communities, have tasked IAWAI with dealing with the challenges this sector faces. That means big decisions, and long-term thinking that works for our people, our environment and our economy.
“Guided by Te Ture Whaimana (the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River), we have our communities at the heart of everything we do, recognising our role to support the awa as a tuupuna (ancestor) and uphold Te Mana o Te Awa and Te Mana o Te Moana through the cycle of our water management.
“This guardianship role is critical, and these appointments strengthen our collective skills.”
Hinerangi Raumati-Tu'ua brings deep financial expertise as a former CFO and a fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, combined with extensive governance experience across complex, regulated sectors including energy, water, and fisheries. She also contributes strong commercial acumen, a track record in infrastructure-adjacent organisations, and a valuable Te Ao Māori perspective, all of which support IAWAI’s strategic direction.
Jennifer Kerr brings a strong combination of governance leadership, regulation experience, stakeholder engagement, and people and culture expertise. Her governance background includes oversight of large, complex organisations and organisational systems, supported by earlier executive responsibility for people, customers and operational functions. Jennifer also brings a strong customer and community lens, with iwi affiliations to Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama.
Tim Gibson has deep technical, operational and governance experience across the water and infrastructure sectors, with a proven track record in leading large-scale service delivery organisations. As former CEO of Citycare Water, he has overseen complex operations and maintenance functions, including responsibility for large workforces and critical infrastructure delivery, directly aligning with the engineering and infrastructure development requirements of the brief.
Jennifer Kerr and Hinerangi Raumati-Tu'ua have been appointed for an initial three-year term, ending in July 2029. Tim Gibson has been appointed for an initial two-year term, ending in July 2028. Dave Chambers, originally appointed for one year, has been confirmed for a further three years to bring the total Board to six, with Kevin Lavery as chair.
The Shareholders Agreement provides for a board of from five to seven members.
Annual director fees for the IAWAI – Flowing Waters Board are $98,000 for the chair and $53,000 for other directors, with an additional fee for Committee Chairs of $6,000.
The IAWAI Flowing Waters Board governs a new organisation which takes over staff, assets, liabilities, consents, contracts and land from its partner councils. It guides the development of a 10-year water services strategy and from 1 July 2026, manages 90,700 water connections and invests around $3 billion on water infrastructure over the next decade.
