A message from Mayor Mahé with Mahé Drysdale

Tauranga City Council is asking the community for feedback on future plans for the delivery of the city’s waters services – drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.

As part of central government’s ‘Local Water Done Well’ policy programme, all councils are required to consult with their communities and decide on a preferred future delivery model.

For Tauranga, the options include keeping our water services as a council-run operation or establishing a council-controlled organisation to do that job; either on a standalone basis or jointly with other partner councils.

Clear expectation (sidehead)

The Government has a clear expectation that councils will work together, where that will deliver advantages for their ratepayers.

We’ve used a business case approach to assess all our options and we think the best long-term proposition is to move to a joint council-controlled organisation, in partnership with other councils.

This model shows that we can achieve benefits based on scale and size, while effectively retaining ownership of our water assets.

A council-controlled organisation also means we would be able to appoint directors or trustees with the expertise needed to deliver high quality and affordable water and wastewater services which will meet our and the community’s expectations far into the future.

It would also provide access to better borrowing terms than we could achieve if we were to keep these services within council. For Tauranga, that means being better prepared to meet demands driven by future growth and technological advances.

Consultation open 

Consultation will run through to April 28, alongside the council’s draft annual plan 2025/2026, and is supported by a detailed consultation document.

The community is being asked to identify what matters to them through a series of values-based questions, as well as ranking and providing comments on the options available.

We want to hear what our community thinks before we make this big decision, so please head online to: letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/localwaterdonewell Or come to one of the events listed on the website and tell us in person.