Commitment to better management and leadership for Wellington’s water networks is welcome, but little will change without a less combative approach, cautions Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Alan Pollard Reports released this week highlight systematic governance and operational failures, with a lack of direction, oversight, funding and checks and balances to keep the region’s water networks on track. Continue →

A bid to build a dam in the shadow of the failed Ruataniwha dam in Central Hawke’s Bay has been given a $3 million injection from the Government By Linda Hall, Local Democracy Reporter The money will be used to find out if the massive project to store water on the Makaroro River is viable – commercially, environmentally and technically. Continue →

New water policies have been welcomed by Civil Contractors New Zealand, but its Chief Executive Alan Pollard says contractors are suffering from a lack of immediate work, despite the severe need for upgrades to water infrastructure The key detail of the Government’s Local Water Done Well policies is that the New Zealand Local Government Funding Agency Limited (LGFA) can now lend to water Council Controlled Organisations (CCO) that are financially supported by their parent council(s). Continue →

Regional councils are often opting to create their own expensive, customised, and single-use freshwater models to help them make decisions when they could potentially be saving time and money adapting already existing models, a new report says Freshwater modelling can help councils make decisions such as how much water to take from a source, but councils are taking an uncoordinated approach to using them, says a new report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Continue →

As the government moves to roll out new Local Water Done Well legislation by mid-2025 after repealing the previous government’s Three Waters legislation, the future is uncertain for local councils Future of Northland’s $1.8 billion Three Waters assets under the spotlight By Susan Botting, Local Democracy Reporter Northland Northland’s council wastewater, stormwater and drinking water provision for more than 150,000 people had been in the process of shifting off the books of Whangārei District Council (WDC), Far North District Council (WDC) and Kaipara District Council (KDC) and Auckland Council. Continue →

An independent review into Wellington Water, the company which manages water assets on behalf of five of the Region’s councils, has identified several opportunities to improve its performance Carried out by FieldForce4, the independent review was initiated by a resolution of Wellington City Council’s Long-term Plan Finance and Performance Committee. Continue →

New research has revealed the sheer scale of the work needed for New Zealand to achieve its water quality targets and what areas need the greatest effort The research, funded by Our Land and Water, evaluates the current state of four contaminants (nitrogen, phosphorus, Escherichia coli, and sediment) in rivers, lakes, and estuaries across Aotearoa New Zealand. Continue →

A major stormwater upgrade is taking place at Auckland Airport following floods at the facility earlier this year More than three kilometres of stormwater pipes are going in the ground under Auckland Airport’s new airfield development. Continue →

New Zealand will cope more efficiently with torrential weather and record rainfall if it embraces technology faster, the NZ IoT Alliance executive director Alison Mackie says Much of New Zealand has seen record rainfall this year as mother nature makes herself known. Continue →

Three waters reform threatens councils’ vital role as leaders in placemaking and community wellbeing outcomes, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) says in its submission on the Water Services Legislation Bill and Water Services Economic Efficiency and Consumer Protection Bill Local government agrees how we deliver three waters services to New Zealanders must change. Continue →

Cyclone Gabrielle has highlighted the challenges New Zealand faces grappling with the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, changing weather intensity and storm surges. Continue →

The National Party says it will scrap the Government’s Three Waters Reforms, but its alternative plan just puts more pressure on already struggling councils Boil water notices, e-coli alerts at beaches and inadequate stormwater infrastructure — there is no question that the way water services are managed in this country need to change. Continue →

Recent flooding in the North Island has decimated huge crops of fruit and vegetables, demonstrating the need for New Zealand to better mitigate the impacts of climate change – water management is a significant part of this, IrrigationNZ Chief Executive Vanessa Winning says Water capture and storage is a proven way to reduce the destructive effects of flooding by regulating the water flow and volume into vulnerable areas. Continue →

Whatever new system we adopt, public health and environmental needs have to be kept as a central focus to reduce the risk of another crisis like the Havelock North campylobacter outbreak, University of Otago Professor Michael Baker says Clean drinking water and effective sewage disposal (sanitation) is fundamental to public health, so much so that we take them for granted. Continue →

Water restrictions in New Zealand’s biggest city may soon be a thing of the past as Watercare starts work on a new 45-million-litre reservoir Aiming to boost the resilience of Auckland’s water supply, Watercare has completed its first of four concrete floor pours for a third reservoir at the Redoubt Road Reservoir Complex. Continue →

A Three Waters reform proposal by the mayors of Auckland, Christchurch and Waimakiriri, offers a legitimate and more logical alternative to the multi-layered complexity we have seen so far, Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Alan Pollard says The simplicity of the proposal is a refreshing change – it is simple, practical, clear, accessible, and still addresses issues around good management of water assets. Continue →

Some have praised the Government for running with the majority of recommendations made by the Three Waters Working Group while others are demanding the co-governance scheme is stopped now before it is too late The Government has ruled out other solutions to New Zealand’s water issues and is dead set on creating four publicly owned water entities. Continue →

The average New Zealander uses 281.8 litres of water per day but that varies hugely in different parts of the country, where usage can be as high as 800 litres, a Water New Zealand report finds Water New Zealand has published their latest annual water services assessment, the National Performance Review and has found large regional variations in the amount of water households use, as well as what they are charged across the country. Continue →

It is time the world wakes up to the pivotal role of improved water management in achieving Paris Agreement goals, Water Policy Group consultant Anthony Slatyer says Increasing evidence suggests that unsustainable water and wastewater management is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Continue →

Despite council opposition, four new entities will manage New Zealand’s water assets, so what happens next? Continue →