The Tauranga City Council is establishing an elected member working group to help guide the city’s transition to a new multi-council water organisation planned to be in place by July 1, 2027.

The working group oversaw the due diligence process and shaped the future delivery of water services in partnership with the Western Bay of Plenty District Council and potentially other councils.

The multi-council model was designed to improve access to funding for water infrastructure, create advantages of scale and deliver high-quality, affordable water services to communities.

Early modelling showed potential savings of around $3000 per connection over 10 years compared with an in-house delivery model.

A commitment agreement was signed with the Western Bay council, enabling due diligence to begin.

The elected member working group ensured the process reflected the needs and priorities of Tauranga’s communities.

In September, the Tauranga council submitted its Water Services Delivery Plan to the Department of Internal Affairs, outlining how the city would manage water supply, wastewater and stormwater services over the next decade.

The chairman of the working group, Tauriko Ward councillor Marten Rozeboom, said the work programme ahead was a huge undertaking, but the council needed to set the city up to keep delivering great quality water services into the future.

“Residents can be assured that the council’s priority remains delivering affordable, equitable and high-quality water services,” Rozeboom said.

“No immediate changes will be noticeable to customers as the transition is carefully planned over the next two years and will only go ahead if we’re comfortable with the findings of the due diligence process.

“We will keep our community updated throughout the process as key milestones are reached.”

The work aligns with the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025, which came into effect on August 27, setting a new framework for how councils across Aotearoa deliver water services.