Scale, savings of at least $20 million in the next decade and a well-worn collaborative journey with the rest of the region, are all factors behind Central Hawke’s Bay’s Council supporting a regional water organisation.

The Council has adopted three options to take to the community for feedback on how it wants its three water services delivered: drinking water, wastewater and storm water, as part of its requirements under the Local Water Done Well legislation.

“We’ve been walking alongside Central Government and our neighbouring councils for a long time on this water service journey,” Mayor Alex Walker said.

“We’re stronger together if we work as a region,”

“We’ve had modelling done, and it gives us what I would call a first blush. It’s nothing fancy but shows how we can start to make the most of scale and the benefits it will bring us. That includes saving Central Hawke’s Bay $20 million in the first ten years.

“It’s just a starting point, but a good starting point.”

The preference was a regional Council-controlled water organisation, which would be jointly owned with Hastings, Napier and Wairoa.

The two other options were an in-house service delivery, or a Council-controlled organisation owned solely by Central Hawke’s Bay District Council. Both would cost a lot more to ratepayers.

“In Central Hawke’s Bay, we know better than anyone that we need to urgently upgrade our water infrastructure. We’ve also understood how challenging it will be for our district and for other small communities like ours, to afford the work that needs to be done.”

“None of the options will be a silver bullet. All options will cost ratepayers more money, but some will cost more than others.”

Local Water Done Well is the latest iteration of Government policy for water service delivery and focusses on increased regulation, changes to financing mechanisms, and making joint Council owned water organisations, between multiple councils, a key delivery priority.

Central Hawke’s Bay Councillor Brent Muggeridge said the impact this will have on the district cannot be underplayed.

“In 2021, we laid out the major investment that was needed in our water infrastructure, for both our wastewater and drinking water plants, and identified the need to improve our stormwater systems,” Muggeridge said.

“Prior to 2016, for years as a community we had chosen to keep our rates artificially low, which had meant we didn’t have the capital to invest.

“We have to deliver a model that is sustainable, one that keeps prices as low as possible, but we still have infrastructure investment that we have to do to meet the Government’s requirements and deliver water services that meet our community’s expectations,” Muggeridge said.

Mayor Alex Walker believes this is one of the most important decisions the district will make. “Water is essential to everything we do. We need you to have your say on this.

“The right and responsible thing for us to do is to put the ‘Stronger Together’ case before our community.

“This is what we have been working towards for a long time but will only carry the strength and mandate it requires if we have community support.”

“We’re coming to a hall near you”

Consultation will open on Monday 12 May and run to 15 June 2025, and there will be a number of community conversations during that period.

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