Almost $3m in water charges missed across Selwyn

Almost $3m in drinking water charges may not have been billed over an 18-month period in the Selwyn District, with approximately 2700 properties potentially affected.

Selwyn District revealed in February that historic systems and processes had not consistently captured all properties and businesses receiving water and trade waste services.

The Canterbury council was working with the new water services provider, Selwyn Water Limited, to investigate the issues.

Selwyn Water has been working to identify and verify the customers, bring them into its billing system and ensure accurate charges are applied.

An independent report by PwC will be presented to the council's finance and performance committee on October 22, providing an update on the historic charging issues, the work undertaken to address them and the options available to address.

Selwyn Mayor Lydia Gliddon said the council were "upfront with the community" in revealing the issues in February and will keep the community informed of the progress.

The PwC report going to the finance and performance committee will be considered in a public-excluded session due to the commercially sensitive nature of some of the information, she said.

"This will allow councillors to review the findings and discuss potential options in detail.

"We're committed to being transparent with the community and will share the report, along with future plans and updates, as soon as we can."

The investigations have identified that over an 18-month period, from July 2024 to December 2025, around 2,700 properties have been identified that need further investigation to confirm whether they're being billed correctly for their water.

Early estimates are that up to $2.9 million in drinking water charges may not have been billed over that period.

The estimate covers a few different issues, including accounts where billing started later than it should have.

Gliddon said the council and Selwyn Water understand that some customers have been surprised to receive water charges higher than they were expecting.

"We know this has come as a surprise to some people, particularly those who had not previously been charged correctly for the water services they receive," she said.

"Council and Selwyn Water are working together to rectify these historic issues, support affected customers and make sure our billing information is accurate going forward.

"It is important we address this properly so everyone receiving the same service is treated consistently and costs are shared fairly across our community."

Selwyn Water Limited chief executive Alex Cabrera said the CCO and council agreed on a 12-month Water Services Strategy to address the complexity of this work, and to form a clear picture of the true cost of providing water services before making longer-term decisions.

A resolution was expected ahead of the next strategy and pricing decisions in June 2027, Cabrera said.