Water services strategy
Improving water services delivery will take time. It will take years to catch up on decades of under-investment, address growth, meet new regulatory standards, and deliver reliable and environmentally sustainable water services.
Water Services Strategy 2026/27
Tiaki Wai sets out its plans for the 2026/27 financial year in the Water Services Strategy.
The focus for the first year is keeping water services stable while building the foundations for long-term improvement.
Tiaki Wai plans to spend almost $800 million in the 2026/27 financial year. About half will go into replacing and upgrading aging pipes and other critical assets. The other half goes to delivering services across the region; that is keeping water coming out of the taps and safely manging wastewater and stormwater.
This will be funded from Water Services Charges (approximately 55%), new net borrowing, development contributions, capital grants and other revenue.
Water services charges for 2026/27
The average water services bill for 2026/27 across all four cities will be $2,390 – a 13.3% increase on the $2,100 currently paid through council rates, or about $5.60 a week extra.
Use our calculator to estimate the water services charges for your property.
Policies
Our Pricing policy explains how Tiaki Wai sets water charges and what customers can expect, including a detailed schedule of fees and charges.
Our Debtors' Management and Hardship/Waivers Policy sets out how we will support customers who are temporarily unable to pay their water services charges, and how the organisation will manage overdue accounts fairly and consistently.
Find out more about how Tiaki Wai will support people who are in financial hardship and have difficulty paying their water bill.
Our Significance and Engagement policy sets out how Tiaki Wai will engage meaningfully with those likely to be affected by its decisions.
Questions and Answers
Further questions and answers about broader topics are available on our helpdesk
What is a Water Services Strategy?
Under the Government’s ‘local water done well’ reforms, Tiaki Wai as a water services provider is required to publish a strategy every three years.
The strategy provides clear and transparent information about priorities, the investment programme, service levels, and financial settings.
It also supports strong governance and accountability, giving councils and communities the ability to see how Tiaki Wai is performing and responding to challenges across the region it serves – Porirua, Hutt Valley and Wellington.
How and when did Tiaki Wai consult on its plans and policies?
Tiaki Wai released a draft Water Services Strategy for feedback on 25 March 2026. Over 1,150 people gave feedback.
Read the summary of public feedback presented to the Tiaki Wai Board.
The Partners’ Committee that oversees Tiaki Wai also provided feedback.
Read the letter from the Partners Committee about the Water Services Strategy.
What did Tiaki Wai do as a result of the feedback?
Tiaki Wai worked with councils to review the proposed budget and investment plan to reduce charges from those projected in the draft strategy in March. This was achieved by further review of cost lines, pragmatically extending the timeline for some capital work, and through partnership with shareholding councils who agreed to provide an equity backstop. This backstop reduces the need to build financial headroom rapidly.
Other non-financial changes as a result of feedback are detailed in section 3 of the Water Services Strategy.