Taupō’s council favours in-house water services

Thursday, 8 May 2025

Uncertainties over future costs and possible legislation changes have seen Taupō’s council favour keeping its water services in-house, for the time being anyway.

The Taupō District Council has begun consultation on government-imposed Local Water Done Well (LWDW) reforms and has bucked the trend by not preferring to join other district councils in their Waikato Water Done Well (WWDW) proposals.

“No final decision has been made, and we want feedback and input from the community,” deputy mayor Kevin Taylor said.

“This decision on our water services is a huge one.”

While Taylor said keeping water services as they were was not an option, councillors wanted to try and go it alone due to the council’s “current financial stability and the strength of its water services team” and would review its decision in 2027.

Taylor said after months of reviews, councillors narrowed down their options to three – one preferred option and two alternatives.

He said keeping water services in-house would mean significant changes to how the council manages and reports on those services.

The two alternative options are to join six other councils to form Waikato Water Done Well, a regional multi-council owned water services entity, or to establish a single Taupō District Council-controlled organisation.

Taylor said while there is still significant ongoing uncertainty in the water reform landscape, councillors thought it wise to take a cautious approach and wait for more clarity before making any major changes.

“Our proposed preferred option … is the result of a thorough evaluation of key factors, including long-term financial stability, service quality, governance, and potential improvements,” he said.

“Under this option we would also explore joining Waikato Water [Done Well] for some shared services, such as procurement, but we would keep control of our water services and our water assets.

“We need to think carefully and make the right choice for our community – not just for today and tomorrow, but for generations to come.”

Taylor said choosing one option did not rule out being able to change to another option later.

“Whatever option we ultimately end up with, you can still expect to receive the same water services.”

He said regardless of the model chosen, water service costs are expected to rise due to Government-imposed factors such as economic regulation and regulatory compliance plus increasing infrastructure costs, which will require ongoing investment.

Taupō’s Our Water Our Future consultation runs until 4.30pm on Thursday, May 29.