Rotorua council will run its water services until 2028 while exploring a shared model.
Rotorua Lakes Council’s 10-year plan for managing the district’s water, wastewater and stormwater services has been approved by the Government.
The prospect of joining a merged, multi-council organisation to deliver those services from 2028, however, remains a point of debate among councillors.
The council’s Water Services Delivery Plan outlines how water services will operate under the Government’s Local Water Done Well programme, which replaced Three Waters reform in August.
Councils were required to develop and submit water services plans by September 3.
Rotorua’s plan keeps management in council hands until at least 2028, delaying any move to a regional body.
In the interim, Rotorua will work with Kawerau, Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne councils, which had their respective plans accepted this month, to investigate the validity of forming a joint organisation.
A final decision will be made in 2027.
Rotorua Lakes Council chief executive Andrew Moraes said the Government approval recognised the strong planning behind Rotorua’s approach.
“Water services are of high importance to our community and especially to mana whenua and we’re pleased our delivery plan has been accepted,” he said.
“We’re committed to ensuring safe and reliable services to our community with stable infrastructure to support them, which is critical for protecting people, property and our environment.”
If a shared regional model does not go ahead, the council will continue managing water services itself.
The Department of Internal Affairs’ response acknowledged the plan’s “level of detail” but cautioned that missing key milestones in exploring a multi-council-controlled organisation (CCO) could trigger a review of potential risks.
The now-approved plan was signed off by councillors during a tetchy July council meeting.
At the time, Don Paterson and now former councillor Lani Kereopa voted against the plan, while Robert Lee abstained from voting.
Gregg Brown voted for it, but said it felt like reform was being “pushed down” the council’s throat. Conan O’Brien, who missed out on re-election last month, also “reluctantly” accepted the plan as a best-case scenario.
Paterson’s concerns remain. He conceded national change is necessary as a consequence of the deadly 2016 Havelock North campylobacter contamination. But he did not understand why a one-size-fits-all approach was being proposed.
“Residents and ratepayers here have spent a fortune on improving their three waters systems and Rotorua has some of the best water services in the country,” he said.
According to Rotorua’s 2024-25 Annual Report the council met all 23 water, wastewater and stormwater performance measures.
“It feels like we are in the school classroom and are being punished as a whole class because of the behaviour of a few naughty children.
“This, along with what we do about our recovered wastewater, is the biggest decision we will face as a council this term,” he said.
Paterson also had fears about the impact on Rotorua’s connection with local iwi, concerns shared by Brown.
“I worry about what would happen to the relationships we have managed to build with mana whenua,” said Brown.
“A multi-council agency covering several different regions is not going to manage to maintain that. I am happy to be proven wrong, but I am very dubious.”
Ongoing work aimed at improving council relations with local iwi and mana whenua regarding water services includes a recent agreement with Ngāti Kearoa-Ngāti Tuara over Karamū Tākina Springs, which supplies 60% of the city’s drinking water.
The Water Services Delivery Plan details next steps including forming a Waters Working Group with representatives from other councils, by the end of 2025.
A thorough study into the feasibility of a shared model will run from January to July 2026, followed by public consultation later that year.
A final decision is expected in early 2027, with any transition to a new organisation to take effect from July 2028.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.