Council to keep water services in-house after LWDW decisions

Published on 05 August 2025

On 24 June 2025, Thames-Coromandel District Council voted to pursue forming a joint Water Services Organisation with Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council, reflecting months of research and conversations with multiple potential partners. 

Today (Tuesday 5 August) Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council voted to adopt alternative models for future water services delivery at each of their councils instead of a joint Water Services Organisation (WSO) involving the three Councils. As a result, Thames-Coromandel District Council will now be moving to deliver future water services via an internal water services unit, which was one of the other service delivery options taken to the public for feedback and mentioned in the 24 June 2025 Council decision report.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s decision reflects concerns raised at their meeting about ongoing Treaty of Waitangi matters involving iwi and hapu local to each area. 

Tauranga City Council’s decision was to proceed with an in-house water services unit before exploring forming a joint WSO with other councils at some point in the future. 

Thames-Coromandel District Council Chief Executive Aileen Lawrie says our Council ran through a rigorous process to examine all the options and that the prospective Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty and Thames-Coromandel entity was the best. “However, we’ve made it clear from the beginning that TCDC is also well placed to continue to deliver water services in-house. Our debt is relatively low and our assets are in good condition. Going it alone is a viable option and meets the legislative requirements.”  

“We recognise the challenges councils face and each of our obligations and commitments to do right by our respective communities,” Lawrie says. 

The decisions come after more than a year of research, analysis, and consultation as to which LWDW options would serve our respective communities best.  

While the joint WSO option was favoured by 51% of submitters during consultation with our communities, 46% said they preferred an internal water services unit. 

We will now proceed to develop a Water Services Delivery Plan based on an internal water services unit and we will continue to explore other service delivery options in the future. 

Under the Local Water Done Well reform, all councils need to present a Water Services Delivery Plan - outlining how it will deliver its future water services - to the Department of Internal Affairs by 3 September 2025. So this is a tight deadline we are moving to meet.

Our Council is expected to make its final decision on the future Water Services Delivery Plan when it meets on 20 August 2025, prior to submission to the Department of Internal Affairs by the above deadline. 

Find out more about how our Council got to this point here.