FAQs

Under the Government’s ‘local water done well’ reforms, Tiaki Wai as a water services provider is required to publish a strategy every three years. 

The strategy provides clear and transparent information about priorities, the investment programme, service levels, and financial settings.  

It also supports strong governance and accountability, giving councils and communities the ability to see how Tiaki Wai is performing and responding to challenges across the service area, or takiwā.

This first Tiaki Wai Water Services Strategy sets out:

• How we will address the challenges Tiaki Wai faces.
• The service you can expect from Tiaki Wai in its first year of operation, while the organisation is being established.
• Long‑term priorities for improving water services and an indication of the investment required over the longer term. How services will be funded and how customer charges will change as costs shift from councils to Tiaki Wai.

Tiaki Wai released a draft Water Services Strategy for feedback on 25 March 2026. Over 1,150 people gave feedback. Read the summary of public feedback presented to the Tiaki Wai Board.

The Partners’ Committee that oversees Tiaki Wai also provided feedback available here.

Tiaki Wai worked with councils to review the proposed budget and investment plan to reduce charges from those projected in the draft strategy in March. This was achieved by further review of cost lines, pragmatically extending the timeline for some capital work, and through partnership with shareholding councils who agreed to provide an equity backstop. This backstop reduces the need to build financial headroom rapidly.

Other non-financial changes as a result of feedback are detailed in section 3 of the Water Services Strategy.

Property owners are already paying for water services through their rates and other charges. From 1 July 2026, the cost of water services will instead be charged by and paid directly to Tiaki Wai.

The average water services bill for 2026/27 across all four cities will be $2,390 – a 13.3% increase on the $2,100 currently paid through council rates, or about $5.60 a week extra.

The exact amount will vary from city to city and property to property, in the same way rates vary, because for 2026/27 Tiaki Wai is using much the same approach as councils to calculate charges.

Use our calculator to estimate the water services charges for your property. 

Read the Water Services Charges information sheet.

Keeping water services stable while building the foundations for long‑term improvement is our focus for the first year. This includes:

• setting up new systems to support investment decision-making and improve customer service and billing
• catching up on the backlog of worn-out or degraded infrastructure
• fixing faults and managing issues as they arise 
• keeping up with renewal of assets as they fall due and maintaining agreed levels of service
• preparing for long term investment, including planning for water metering, future storage, environmental improvements and building resilience to our changing climate.

Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant is a critical regional asset that treats wastewater for most of Wellington city. Its failure in February 2026 continues to have a significant impact on communities and the environment. This event highlights the long-standing resilience issues in ageing wastewater systems that Tiaki Wai is taking on, and the need for improved investment and adaptation to extreme weather conditions.

Remedial work at Moa Point will be a significant project for Tiaki Wai in 2026/27.

Tiaki Wai is working to build a foundation for a long-term coordinated response to climate change. In our first year, we are focused on better understanding the effects so we can start planning. We will:

• assess climate risks to key assets, including river sources, aquifers, treatment plants and coastal infrastructure, to better understand how flooding, sea‑level rise and extreme weather will affect water services
• build climate adaptation into long‑term planning, ensuring future investment supports resilience across all three networks
• factor climate change into decisions about renewals, upgrades and new infrastructure, prioritising options that reduce vulnerability and improve long‑term reliability
• develop a Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Policy, starting in 2027/28 or earlier, to guide future strategies and ensure the organisation plans responsibly for a changing climate.

The pricing policy explains how Tiaki Wai sets water charges and what customers can expect, including a detailed schedule of fees and charges.

Property-owners are already paying for water services through their rates and other charges. From 1 July 2026, the cost of water services will instead be charged by and paid directly to Tiaki Wai.

Charges will vary between each city because each council has a different pricing approach. Over time we will work towards a regional pricing approach or ‘harmonisation’ so that properties will pay similar charges no matter the location. There will be an opportunity for feedback on this as the  2027-37 Water Services Strategy is developed.

We are conscious that everyone is facing rising costs on all sides and water service charges will also need to increase over time to address the challenges in our networks and catch up on decades of underinvestment. We intend to support customers who are struggling. 

Our debtor management policy sets out how we will support customers who are temporarily unable to pay their water services charges, and how the organisation will manage overdue accounts fairly and consistently. It includes options for  payment plans, practical support and temporary fee waivers.

No one will have the water turned off just because they are struggling to pay the bill.