A new way to deliver water services

From 1 July 2025, IAWAI – Flowing Waters will be officially incorporated. Over the next 12 months, both councils will transfer the responsibility to build, manage and maintain drinking water and waste water services to the company. 

Stormwater services will be provided to each council under a contract to IAWAI – Flowing Waters. From 1 July 2026, the company will be fully operational and responsible for managing 90,700 drinking water and wastewater connections across our fast-growing city and district.

We will have transferred staff, assets, liabilities, consents, contracts and land. The water assets of both councils (such as plants and equipment) as well as water-related debt will also be transferred to the company. Over the next decade IAWAI – Flowing Waters will be responsible for investing around $3.3 billion on critical water infrastructure.

Water Services Delivery Plan  

Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council received formal approval from the Secretary for Local Government for their joint Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP) on Thursday 23 July 2025, confirming a new direction for the delivery of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services.    

The WSDP was developed in response to the Government’s Local Water Done Well framework, which requires councils to prepare a one-off Water Services Delivery Plan to demonstrate how water services will be financially sustainable. The plan builds on and is broadly consistent with each council’s existing Long-Term Plan.  

Under the approved plan, IAWAI – Flowing Waters, the newly established council-controlled organisation, will be responsible for providing water and wastewater services (and maintaining the relevant infrastructure) across both councils, as well as delivering stormwater services under contract to the councils.   

The WSDP provides a comprehensive overview of current infrastructure, service coverage, and regulatory compliance, while identifying the investment required to support future growth, maintain service levels, and enhance environmental outcomes.   

Read and download the WSDP (below).

Shareholding arrangements

IAWAI – Flowing Waters is owned by Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council. There are no other shareholders. Both councils have equal (50:50) voting rights.

Both councils have three representatives each on the IAWAI – Flowing Waters Forum, alongside three representatives from Waikato-Tainui. It is this Forum which makes Board appointments, Waikato-Tainui has voting rights for Board appointments only.

Councils provide strong direction to the IAWAI – Flowing Waters through a range of means including the formal Shareholders Agreement and Company Constitution. 

A Water Services Delivery Plan was approved in June 2025 and is now with the government for approval. The plan outlines how the company will ensure there is sufficient revenue, sufficient investment and sufficient debt to meet water services needs across the city and district.  

Our customers

Initially, customers will not see a lot of change. 

Ratepayers in the Waikato district will still receive water meter bills, twice yearly. Industrial and commercial water users in Hamilton will also continue to get water meter bills.

But there will be a change for residential water users in Hamilton. From 1 July 2025, two things will change to ensure more transparency around the cost of water services. 

Hamilton residential water customers will see a difference on their rates bills.  They will see three separately itemised rates for waters services – drinking water, wastewater, stormwater – depending on what water services the property receives. That change will be in place for 12 months.