New Joint Water Organisation approved
On 2 April 2026, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council reached a landmark decision to establish a new joint water organisation. The decision, made at a formal Council meeting, followed months of shared due diligence under the Government’s Local Water Done Well reforms. This agreement marks an important step towards a more sustainable, collaborative approach to delivering water services for our communities.
Establishment Chief Executive
Kevin Lavery has been appointed to lead the establishment and transition phase of the organisation, with a clear focus on ensuring it is set up to operate effectively from day one - for staff, communities, and the Councils it will serve.
You can read more here: Kevin Lavery appointed Establishment CE of joint Water Organisation.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council Mayor James Denyer and Tauranga City Council Mayor Mahé Drysdale share an update about the agreement to establish a joint Water Organisation.
Read more on the Western Bay of Plenty District Council website.
What is happening now?
As a customer, you won’t notice any changes yet. Most work will happen in the background to ensure we’re ready to transition to a multi-council Water Organisation on 1 July 2027.
Our priority remains providing sustainable, quality services to residents and ratepayers.
A new way to govern
We will be looking at how the governance framework might be shaped to ensure the new multi-council Water Organisation is set up for success. This includes ensuring the Board of Directors has the necessary skills and expertise to provide effective oversight and strategic direction.
Shareholding arrangements
Through a joint council document called the Statement of Expectations, the new water organisation will be responsible for delivering water services. The new Board of Directors will be focused on achieving the outcomes outlined in this statement.
Under this model, councils will set up the multi-council Water Organisation to operate as a separate organisation from the shareholding councils.
The shareholding arrangements will be negotiated and agreed upon as part of the transition and establishment process.
Background
Choosing a water services delivery model is our responsibility under the government’s new regulatory and legislative framework under Local Water Done Well through two significant pieces of legislation (the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024, and the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025).
The multi-council WO is designed to help councils get better access to funding for water infrastructure and deliver quality water services to the community at a lower cost (compared to other delivery arrangement options).
On 15 August 2025, Council resolved to establish a multi-council Water Organisation (multi-council WO) with Western Bay of Plenty District Council (subject to due diligence) to deliver water services, from 1 July 2027.
Watch a video from Mayor Drysdale
Our Water Services Delivery Plan
Under the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024, Council was required to submit a Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP).
The WSDP is a 10-year strategic document that sets out Tauranga’s approach to delivering water supply, wastewater, and stormwater services. It includes infrastructure assessments, financial forecasts, and an implementation plan for transitioning from in-house service delivery to a multi-council Water Organisation (multi-council WO).
The plan also looks at whether Council has enough funding and investment to support this transition.
Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP) (4mb pdf)
The WSDP was accepted by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) in November 2025.