Over 1,150 people have provided feedback to Tiaki Wai on its draft Water Services Strategy and associated documents, showing strong public interest in the future of water services in the Wellington region.

Tiaki Wai Board Chair Will Peet thanked the community for taking the time to engage. “We want to acknowledge everyone who took the time to provide feedback. We know this is an issue that matters deeply to people, and we appreciate the level of thought and care that has gone into submissions.”

The feedback showed that people rated drinking water quality; clear and consistent pricing and billing; and infrastructure maintenance as the most important priorities for the region.

When it came to questions around investment into network improvements and delivering better services for future generations, 44% definitely or somewhat agreed that this was important even it meant paying more, while 43.6% definitely or somewhat disagreed. The remaining 12.5% were neutral.

Almost half of respondents (49.4%) agreed that it was important to reduce contamination of waterways even if it meant paying more, with 36.7% disagreeing, and 13.8% neutral.

Will Peet says the feedback reinforces the challenge facing Tiaki Wai.

“The important task we have now is balancing the need to invest in improvements and managing debt, with the level and pace of increases in customer charges so it is still affordable. These are not easy trade-offs.”

“Tiaki Wai is being established to fix long-standing, region-wide issues caused by decades of underinvestment in water infrastructure. There’s no quick fix – but every day we delay investment is another day we fall further behind.”

“I get asked a lot about how Tiaki Wai will be different from Wellington Water. We are a new organisation with a clear mandate to get on with the job of funding and investing in renewing and building the infrastructure our region needs.”

Wellington Water are caretakers, delivering Council decisions. Tiaki Wai will own the water assets on behalf of communities, and make decisions on where, when and how to invest.

“The buck will stop with us when it comes to ensuring reliable water supply, effective wastewater management that protects the health of people and waterways and playing our part in a stormwater system that reduces the risk of flooding.”

“Over time, with the right level of investment, we aim to deliver improvements to water services – fewer leaks, more reliable services, and better outcomes for our environment.”

“However, tangible change will take time, and none of the solutions are easy or cheap.”

“At the same time, we hear the concerns about costs, especially at a time when people are facing cost-of-living pressures on all sides, with fuel, electricity and other bills on the rise.

“We are in the process of reviewing the proposed budget and investment plan for next year and the next decade.

“The Partners Committee – made up of shareholding councils and Mana Whenua – has also raised concerns about projected costs. We appreciate our shareholders’ willingness to work with us to consider the path forward.

“We also appreciate Commerce Commission oversight of our approach to pricing and costs. We are acutely aware of the importance of every dollar of customers’ money and have a strong focus on delivering value for money. The independent, professional oversight of the Commerce Commission will provide transparency for our customers.”

The Board will carefully consider feedback before making final decisions.

An updated Water Services Strategy, including confirmed water services charges for 2026/27, will be published before 30 June.

Feedback survey results can be viewed here. https://www.tiakiwai.co.nz/assets/Resource-Files/20260424-Tiaki-Wai-WSS-survey-response.pdf

A “thank you” to Tiaki Wai Ltd for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.

02/05/26