Northland Waters background

Whau Valley Dam with calm water reflecting clouds, surrounded by forested hills and bright green grass.

This change is coming as a result of the Local Water Done Well reforms, which aim to address New Zealand's long-standing drinking, wastewater and stormwater challenges.

The New Zealand Government's framework is designed to enable councils to deliver water services in a way that is financially sustainable, compliant with regulatory standards and responsive to local community needs.

It provides flexibility for councils to collaborate regionally to achieve the scale and capability required for effective service delivery, while maintaining local ownership.

Under this framework, councils needed to develop water services plans that demonstrate their ability to meet these requirements, encouraging them to work with neighbouring districts on solutions that could benefit larger regions.

For more information about Local Water Done Well, visit the Department of Internal Affairs website:

Water Services Policy and Legislation (dia.govt.nz)

Water service delivery options considered

The Government provided several options for how water could be delivered in future.

In Northland, district councils considered the following options for service delivery:

  • an in-house business unit (our current delivery model)
  • a council-controlled organisation (CCO) owned by multiple councils.

Each council undertook consultation, proposing two or three variations of the options above and explaining how they would affect rates, debt and levels of service.

In Whangārei and Far North, sentiment was weighted in favour of an in-house business unit, while Kaipara preferred a Northland multi council-controlled organisation overall.

Community feedback and collaborative decision-making

Following community consultation, Northland's district councils formed a cross-council elected members working group to explore collaboration options.

The group included the mayor and two elected members from each council, and was reformed as the Elected Members Steering Group in December 2025 following local government elections. It is supported by council staff, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), and an independent adviser.

After evaluating the proposed options and community feedback from all districts, the group concluded that creating a Northland council-controlled organisation (CCO) would be the best way forward for the region.

Key plans and agreements

A joint Water Services Delivery Plan was adopted by all three of Northland's district councils in August 2025 and approved by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) in early October 2025:

Water Services Delivery Plan(PDF, 12MB) (large file)

In September 2025, the chief executive of each council signed the following commitment agreement for the councils to work together to establish the council-controlled organisation (CCO):

Water Services Commitment Agreement(PDF, 2MB)

In March and April 2026, councils from each participating district re-committed to forming the CCO with an 'in principle' decision to proceed with establishment.

At these meetings, councils considered the draft legal documents to establish the company and commit in principle to its incorporation.

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