Councilors vote in favour of regional water organisation

Published on 25 July 2025

Whangarei District Council has voted in favour of establishing a Northland-wide Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) to deliver drinking water and wastewater services.  

For the new water CCO to go ahead, Kaipara District Council and Far North District Council must vote in support at council meetings later this week.  

The Northland Local Water Done Well Working Group, including elected members from each council, agreed to a CCO model that recognised the different starting points of each council in terms of water assets, debt levels and infrastructure investment needs.  

It would help to ensure all of Northland could meet the increased compliance requirements under Local Water Done Well. It would also address growth across the region, while ensuring charges are fair for the residents of each district. 

Under the CCO, finances would be ring-fenced for each district and water charges would be non-harmonised, meaning they would vary by district. This would be reviewed during the first three years of operation.  

If Kaipara and Far North district councils agree to go ahead with the CCO, plans for a new approach to water delivery in Northland will be submitted to the Government by September 2025. The CCO would begin operations in July 2027.