Northland Water Done Well
Whangārei, Kaipara and Far North district councils have agreed to establish a Northland-wide council-controlled organisation (CCO) to deliver drinking water and wastewater services from July 2027.
'Northland Water Done Well' is the working name for the new water services delivery model during its establishment.
This change is coming as a result of the Local Water Done Well reforms, which aim to address New Zealand’s long-standing drinking, wastewater and stormwater challenges.
Under this reform, councils needed to develop water services plans that ensure regulatory requirements and quality standards can be met while being financially sustainable and supporting forecasted growth.
The reform also encourages councils to work with neighbouring districts on solutions that could benefit larger regions. The Government provided several options for how water could be delivered in future.
In Northland, district councils considered:
- an in-house business unit (our current delivery model)
- a council-controlled organisation (CCO) owned by multiple councils.
Each council undertook consultation, proposing two or three variations of the options above and explaining how they would affect rates, debt and levels of service. In Whangārei and Far North, sentiment was weighted in favour of an in-house business unit, while Kaipara preferred a Northland multi council-controlled organisation overall.
Following community consultation, Northland's district councils formed a cross-council elected members working group to explore collaboration options.
The group included the mayor and two elected members from each council, and was reformed as the Elected Members Steering Group in December 2025 following local government elections. It is supported by council staff, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), and an independent adviser.
After evaluating the proposed options and community feedback from all districts, the group concluded that creating a Northland CCO would be the best way forward for the region.
The CCO will help ensure all of Northland can meet the increased compliance requirements under Local Water Done Well and address growth across the region, while ensuring charges are fair for the residents and ratepayers of each district.
It will provide Northland with advantages including:
- cost efficiencies through shared resources, reduced duplication and economies of scale over time
- improved borrowing capacity
- enhanced resilience through a larger, shared workforce
- improved ability to deliver large-scale capital programmes and respond to legislative changes
- a commercially focused board and management team.
A joint Water Services Delivery Plan was adopted by all three of Northland’s district councils in August 2025 and approved by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) in early October 2025:
In September 2025, the chief executive of each council signed the following commitment agreement for the councils to work together to establish the CCO:
Water Services Commitment Agreement
Establishment of the new water services entity will be carried out in three phases:
- the scoping and preparation phase, running from now until June 2026
- the establishment and transition phase, from June 2026 to July 2027
- the go-live and operational phase, commencing in July 2027.
More information about the new two-waters Northland CCO can be found in the FAQ section below. These will be added to as details are finalised.
For more information about Local Water Done Well, visit the Department of Internal Affairs website:
Water Services Policy and Legislation (dia.govt.nz)
Frequently asked questions
Across the nation, councils are facing big challenges relating to the delivery of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services.
Local Water Done Well is the coalition Government’s plan to address New Zealand’s long-standing water challenges and replaces the previous Government’s Three Waters reform programme.
It empowers communities and councils to determine how their water services will be delivered in the future while meeting increased regulatory requirements and quality standards, being financially sustainable and supporting forecasted growth.
The policy also encourages councils to work with neighbouring districts on solutions that could benefit larger regions.
Councils have been investigating options for water service delivery into the future, seeking community feedback, and preparing Water Service Delivery Plans which were submitted to the Government in early September 2025.
For more information about Local Water Done Well, visit the Department of Internal Affairs website:
Water Services Policy and Legislation (dia.govt.nz)
A Water Services Delivery Plan is a one-off plan that water service providers were required to submit under Local Water Done Well before 3 September 2025.
It needs to explain how the water services will be delivered and demonstrate financially sustainability by June 2028. The plans must be for a minimum 10-year timeframe but can be up to 30 years.
It must include detailed information about water services operations, assets, revenue, expenditure, pricing, future capital expenditure, and how councils plan to finance and deliver their preferred model.
A joint Water Services Delivery Plan was adopted by all three of Northland’s district councils in August 2025 and approved by the Department of Internal Affairs in early October 2025. You can read this plan below.
Establishment of the new water services entity will be carried out in three phases:
- The scoping and preparation phase, running from September 2025 until June 2026
This phase focuses on establishing the governance and operational foundation needed for the successful implementation of the CCO. During this phase, several key foundation documents will be developed including a constitution, shareholders agreement and a statement of expectations. An implementation plan for Phase 2 will also be developed, and strong leadership is recruited.
- The establishment and transition phase, from June 2026 to July 2027
This phase sees the CCO become incorporated as a separate legal entity and the start of transitional and operational activities required to establish a standalone business. During this phase, a water services strategy and budget will be developed, including strategies, policies and procedures for asset management, capital delivery, technology, operations, funding, financing, governance, legal and risk management.
- The go-live and operational phase, commencing in July 2027.
This phase marks the full transition of service delivery responsibilities to the newly established CCO as an independent entity with its own governance and operational teams. While some transition activities may still be required, the structure will take a form that supports business as usual operation.
Leadership:
Whangarei District Council’s General Manager for Waters, Andrew Carvell, has been seconded to lead the scoping and preparation phase of implementation on behalf of the three district councils as Waters Implementation Programme Director until a CEO is appointed mid-2026.
Establishment is overseen by the Elected Members Steering Group, made up of the mayors and two councillors from each district, until mid-2026 when a Shareholder Council is established.
An external Establishment Advisory Group has also been formed to provide independent assurance and professional advice to elected members and operational teams until a permanent board of directors is confirmed in mid-2026.
Local Water Done Well legislation requires the appointment of a CEO and a competency-based board of directors. The board will work to ensure the CCO achieves its strategy and objectives and meets all statutory responsibilities. They will do this on behalf of the CCO’s shareholders (the councils). Councils will be represented by a Shareholder Council, which will include two representatives from each founding council, of which at least one will be an elected member. The Shareholder Council’s role will be to represent its shareholders and hold the CCO to account via a Statement of Expectations.
This proposal is limited to amalgamating drinking water and wastewater services across Northland.