The five becomes the three - Whanganui declines to join southern neighbours for water services

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

The Whanganui District Council has confirmed it will not join with its neighbours to the southeast for a wider Manawatū-Whanganui water services model.

The Whanganui and Ruapehu district councils had been considering joining the Rangitīkei, Palmerston North and Horowhenua councils under the Local Waters Done Well legislation.

Advice to councils had been that having more than 50,000 water connections in a larger entity should mean councils had greater savings through economies of scale and they could borrow more. The five councils together would have more than 70,000 connections.

But Ruapehu District Council last week decided just to work just with the Whanganui District Council, then on Tuesday, Whanganui councillors voted to form a council-controlled water services organisation with Ruapehu.

Whanganui chief executive David Langford said joining the five would have most likely provided greater saving for households, but cost efficacy was not their only obligation and joining a larger entity would disconnect the community.

“As you get bigger the ability to influence and size of your voice gets smaller.”

He said the two councils working together struck that balance and still delivered some savings.

Mayor Andrew Tripe said Tararua District Council was joining the Wairarapa councils and Manawatū District Council was going it alone.

“We’ve become a splintered Horizons region. Ruapehu is our natural partner.

“We share a hospital and polytech. We work together on economic development and tourism, and the mountain-to-sea cycle trail to name a few.”

The two councils had a proven track record of co-operation and the partnership kept “local pricing and local voice”.

He said it gave them the benefit of scale without losing control and they could work with people they knew.

Councils have to submit their water plans to the Government on September 3.