Buller District Council evaluates next steps towards Local Water Done Well

Buller District Council is looking at ways to tackle the next stage of the Coalition Government’s Local Water Done Well legislation.

The Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024, which came into effect on 2 September 2024, establishes the Local Water Done Well framework and lays out the preliminary arrangements for the new water services system.

Each council around the country has until 3 September 2025 to develop a Water Services Delivery Plan outlining the council’s future water services delivery arrangements, provide an implementation plan for actioning it, and alongside, develop a financial strategy to support this.

The choices available to Buller include developing a model in collaboration with other councils, setting up a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) for delivering water services or contracting water services out to a separate entity. These options will be considered alongside a stand-alone option, where council would be solely responsible for managing the district’s water service provisions.

Buller District Council has long been an advocate of Water Reform and is acutely aware of the challenges that the required infrastructure investment would have on the affordability of three waters services for our community.

A number of different workstreams have been evaluated to see what might work best for our ratepayers.

Mayor Jamie Cleine says: “Some councils have already decided against collaboration, but BDC has entered discussions with other like-minded councils to assess the worth of a collaborative, cross-council Water Services model, compared to councils working individually.”

When a set of options have been considered and finalised, council will make decisions on the preferred options, which will be refined further and ultimately presented to the community for feedback.

Once the feedback process is completed, the Water Services Delivery Plan will be finalised and adopted by council prior to the 3 September 2025 deadline.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz