The previous Government started looking at the Three Waters (drinking water, wastewater and stormwater) when people died after consuming contaminated water in Havelock North in 2016 and is forcing change. The Government also wants councils to work together to save money. 

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The new Government did not proceed with the Three Waters reform and instead set up Local Water Done Well in 2024, and has required councils to choose a water services delivery model that would best meet their community’s needs, provided it also met financial sustainability and compliance standards. 

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The Buller, Grey, and Westland councils chose to set up a Water Services council-controlled organisation (CCO), called Coast Waters Ltd. 

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A lot of financial modelling was done on the options of keeping Three Waters in each Council and combining.  As the amount of work required for water services is increasing, it is cheaper for residents and more efficient for Three Waters to be delivered in a separate, combined Waters CCO than it would be if services were continued to be delivered by each Council.

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Your council will continue to collect money via rates for the purposes of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater until June 2027. After that, Coast Waters Ltd will set water charges. This separate entity will decide the approach to charging, the frequency of charging and whether to add water meters. 

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Because many people live rurally on the West Coast and have their own drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater systems, the number of customers who will be part of Coast Waters is not the same as the number of West Coast homes (nearly 18,000 dwellings).