Changes to water services nationwide

Safe drinking water and the safe disposal of wastewater have made massive differences to our health and wellbeing, even in the past few decades. How we care for water affects not just us and the environment today, but our future.

It’s not surprising then that managing community water services is one of the biggest items in the Council’s budget. And meeting the costs of delivering these community water services is increasing. Some reasons for that are:

• old pipes and infrastructure wearing out
• increases in labour and materials
• increased community expectations
• environmental and health standards
• population and economic growth.

Since March 2024 we have been looking at several different options for the future delivery of water services including delivering water independently, as well as working with the South Taranaki and New Plymouth district councils to consider what joint water services delivery could look like in Taranaki.

This is due to the introduction of Local Water Done Well (LWDW), the Government’s plan to address New Zealand’s water infrastructure challenges.

After a lot of work and thorough investigation by all councils we are proposing that the best way to deliver safe, reliable and affordable water services over the next 30-plus years is through a regional council-controlled organisation.

This would be jointly owned by the South Taranaki, Stratford and New Plymouth district councils.

We’d like your thoughts about this proposal, and the alternative option of keeping water services within the Stratford District Council.