Key information

Below you can find the key information about Three Waters Reform Programme.

Regulatory pressures and Three Waters Reform

There is a common misconception that the Government is asking councils to consider and compare their current three waters operations with a future under the service delivery reforms. This is incorrect. The status quo for water service providers is changing and council water providers and their communities will face very significant costs without reform.

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Reform Support Package

The Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government have announced a comprehensive three waters support package and discussed the forward partnership with Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) on the reform proposals.

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Cabinet decisions and reform proposals

In mid-2021 Cabinet took decisions on the key design features of the reform proposals including, size, boundaries, ownership, and protections of iwi/Māori rights and interests. The Department’s Regulatory Impact Analysis provides a comprehensive analysis of alternate options for reform that were considered through the reform programme.

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National Evidence Base

This analysis and modelling advances the evidence base informing the case for change for the Three Waters Reform Programme.

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