Tauranga City Council has backflipped on its decision to go it alone on delivering water services and will partner with its closest neighbour.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale used his casting vote at a meeting on Friday to reverse a previous decision that would have seen the council deliver water services in-house until July 2028.

Councils have until September 3 to submit a plan for managing drinking, storm and wastewater services under the Government’s Local Water Done Well programme.

Friday’s extraordinary meeting provided information about the implications of the in-house decision because the work done so far was for a water services organisation with other council partners.

Tauranga City Council will now partner with its “little brother”, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, and possibly Thames Coromandel District Council, on a water services organisation from July 2027.

Drysdale said the information reconfirmed that a multi-council water organisation was the right direction.

“Western Bay are our family, they’ve cried out for help, and it’s our responsibility as the regional leader to step up and look after our little brother.”

The Department of Internal Affairs made it clear that councils needed to consider what was best for their regional partners, as well as themselves, he said.

The multi-council organisation was a “win for everyone” because “everyone pays less,” Drysdale said.

Western Bay of Plenty mayor James Denyer asked Tauranga to reconsider its water decision. Photo / John Borren

Western Bay Mayor James Denyer wrote to Tauranga expressing his “dismay” at the city council’s in-house decision.

Tauranga’s decision put Western Bay in a “very challenging situation” where it would be unable to meet the financial sustainability requirements, the August 6 letter said.

Denyer asked Tauranga to reconsider its decision and to work toward a multiple-council water organisation with them.

Thames Coromandel Mayor Len Salt also wrote to Tauranga on August 13, saying its water services plan would be sub-optimal without its regional partners.

At Friday’s meeting, councillor Hautapu Baker said this was the biggest decision this council would make.

The respectful thing to do was give equal time and weight to all the possible water scenarios, which the decision to stay in-house allowed for, he said.

The decision to work with other councils was subject to due diligence.

Mayors Mahé Drysdale and James Denyer went rowing on the Wairoa River in April to get people talking about Local Water Done well. Photo / Tauranga City Council

Western Bay of Plenty needed to be satisfied that concerns expressed by its iwi about Treaty of Waitangi settlement considerations would be considered before Tauranga would include Thames Coromandel.

Western Bay of Plenty councillors also met on Friday to decide the way forward.

Initially, the district council was going to request a Crown facilitator to help deliver a viable water services plan, but this was not required after Tauranga’s latest decision.

The cost of a Crown facilitator would have been $1600 a day had it been required.

The district council would stick with its original decision to work with Tauranga on water services.

It noted Thames Coromandel District Council’s desire to be part of a multi-council-controlled organisation with Tauranga and the Western Bay.

Also, the district council requested the Office of Treaty Settlements work urgently with tangata whenua to resolve treaty settlement issues raised by iwi.

These issues made it difficult for Western Bay to partner with Thames Coromandel for water.

Western Bay of Plenty District councillor Margaret Murray-Benge. Photo / John Borren

Councillor Margaret Murray-Benge asked if there could be an extension to the September 3 deadline so the council could continue to consult with the community.

However, the deadline for an extension request was August 3.

Both Tauranga and Western Bay held public consultation on options for water services in April.

Murray-Benge said the mayors using casting votes to “make sure” the in-house options were “never considered” was a “vote of no confidence in the whole process”.

Mayor James Denyer used his casting vote to opt for a multicouncil water organisation at Western Bay’s water meeting earlier this month.

Deputy mayor John Scrimgeour said there were benefits to everyone by working with other councils.

“If we are trying to get the best result for our ratepayers, we need to be talking about how we can involve as many councils as possible.”

Scrimgeour respected the issues raised about working with other councils, but they needed to work together to get the “best possible outcomes”.

Denyer said Tauranga’s decision allowed Western Bay to move forward with confidence.

“Working with Tauranga is the best step forward for both councils,” he said in a statement today.

“We are all working toward the same goal: sustainable water services under the new framework.”

Both Tauranga City and Western Bay will submit a Water Service Delivery Plan by September 3.

The Department of Internal Affairs will assess them and provide a decision by the end of the year.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.