Local Water Done Well

Buller District councillors yesterday told Department of Internal Affairs representatives they have real concerns about the ability of Buller people to afford increased water charges along with other current Council commitments.

The cumulative impact of charges through the proposed joint council-controlled organisation Local Water Done Well, the Westport Flood Scheme and ongoing government reforms were discussed in a workshop with staff, DIA representatives Paul Barker and Dave Foster, Council’s legal firm Simpson Grierson, and Local Water Done Well Programme Director Teresa Wooding and Finance Lead Douglas Marshall.

Councillors asked questions about what might happen should Buller decide to revoke its involvement with other West Coast councils in the new CCO. Some made it clear they believed Buller would be better off continuing in-house with providing three water services (reticulated water supplies, wastewater and stormwater services).

The DIA representatives suggested in response that the Buller Long-Term Plan water costs were higher than the CCO costs but delivered less.

The Buller, Grey and Westland district councils have agreed to form a water services CCO. The Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP) for the West Coast was approved by the Secretary for Local Government on 18 November 2025.

The DIA representatives urged Buller to continue along the track it had committed to. If Buller District Council (BDC) were to withdraw, DIA said the council could seek to amend the plan under legislation, but only where changes were “significant and necessary due to exceptional circumstances” under the Preliminary Arrangements Act.

BDC would need to submit a new Water Services Delivery Plan. DIA representatives indicated this was unlikely to be accepted as they didn’t believe they had heard any information at the workshop that would be deemed exceptional circumstances, an example of which would be dealing with natural disasters.

“A change of Council doesn’t constitute a reason for change. There would have to be a very clear and compelling reason to change a plan,” Mr Barker said.

Being part of the CCO would give the West Coast councils a greater ability to raise funds necessary for the huge list of water infrastructural works, they said. These works had not been adequately completed over recent decades, leaving Buller urgently needing to catch up. Whether it was through a CCO or in-house, these costs were going to end up on ratepayers – either through increased fees, or increased debt for the council.

The DIA representatives confirmed the CCO was the most cost-effective model available to Buller given the significant amount of investment required in the district’s water assets. They said benefits of the CCO included the ability to “bulk buy” and make contracting for works more attractive because of the bigger scale the combined districts would require.

Legislation made it clear any water CCO would have to focus mainly on the provision of the three water services, so it could not be managed by an existing entity such as WestReef, as suggested by councillors.

Comparisons with smaller councils standing alone were rejected, with DIA saying places such as Stratford faced much lower capital requirements and had per‑consumer costs about half those of Buller, and warning that alternative options if Buller pulled out did not “look that flash”.

Councillors asked that government consider ways in which affordability issues could be addressed in Buller through mechanisms such as Development West Coast and the re-distribution of Minerals Royalties back into the district.

A constitution and shareholders’ agreement will be presented to each West Coast council for approval in upcoming weeks. Buller councillors will also reconsider the drawdown of the $5 million required to establish the new CCO at their meeting on 23 March.

Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.

The Buller, Grey and Westland District Councils expect to have a board in place to oversee the set-up of a new West Coast water organisation by autumn.

The councils are establishing a joint council-controlled water services organisation (WSCCO) to manage water services on behalf of their communities. Councillors from across the West Coast were updated on progress at a meeting on Friday.

The establishment cost is budgeted at $5 million, as agreed in the Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP), which was approved by the Government in November 2025.

The three councils operate with streamlined staffing levels and no surplus capacity, so consultants are being engaged on a targeted basis to support the significant transition workload.

This work includes programme management, financial support, aligning IT systems, shared services, and the setup activities for the board of directors and the WSCCO management team, all of which are outlined in the Implementation Plan in the Water Services Delivery Plan.

All transition costs will be transferred to the CCO once funding is in place with the Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA).

Considerable work is already under way, with the aim of minimising establishment and ongoing costs. The transition to the Water Services CCO (WSCCO) will occur in stages, from the lead-up to the transfer date, to minimise disruption.

Buller District Council Chief Executive Simon Pickford said: “There are important decisions yet to be made by the three councils. Until the board and Chief Executive are in place, the development and approval of Governance foundational documents sits with each of the councils.”

Grey District Council Chief Executive Joanne Soderlund said the councils were focused on setting up a robust organisation that delivers long-term value for communities.

“This is a complex transition, and the staged approach allows us to manage risk, control costs, and ensure continuity of essential water services while the new organisation is established.”

Westland District Council Chief Executive Barbara Phillips said: "By working collectively we maintain the oversight of any proposed costs and structures, including implementation, to ensure the best result is in place for the whole region."

The three councils will continue to work closely together over the coming months to progress the establishment of the WSCCO.

A constitution and Shareholders’ Agreement will be presented to each council for approval in autumn. Monthly mayoral meetings will begin from this week to support ongoing governance and coordination.

-ENDS-

Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.

The Secretary for Local Government has signed off on the West Coast Water Services Delivery Plan, confirming how drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services will be sustainably delivered and funded across the region over the next decade. The approval confirms that Buller, Grey, and Westland District Councils will now be able to proceed with establishing a joint council-controlled organisation to manage water services on behalf of their communities.

Read more in our Media Release.

The Buller, Grey and Westland district councils will this week vote on whether to adopt a new Water Services Delivery Plan and submit it to the Government by 3 September. The plan is required under the Government’s water reform programme, Local Water Done Well. This replaced the affordable Water Reform of the previous government and applies to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater. Further details can be found in the Q&As under documents on this page.

Read more in our Media Release.

Buller, Grey and Westland District Councils are set to form a multi-council-controlled organisation for water services delivery under the coalition government’s Local Water Done Well legislation. Buller District Council voted in favour of a joint Water Services Council Controlled Organisation (WSCCO) at an Extraordinary Council meeting on 30 June 2025, with Grey District Council following suit on 3 July 2025, and Westland reaching the same decision on 24 July.

Read more in our Media Release

Buller District Council has chosen a direction for how its water services may be delivered in the future. Between 16 May and 13 June 2025, council invited the Buller community to provide feedback on two options, which were to form either a multi-council-controlled organisation with two or more District Councils, or an internal business unit based within Buller District Council.

Read more in our Media Release.

Buller District Council (BDC) will come together next week to consider 35 submissions on the proposed options for how Buller delivers its water services in future under the Local Water Done Well legislation. The hearings and deliberations will take place at the Clocktower Chambers in Palmerston Street on Monday 30 June and Tuesday 1 July.

Read more in our Media Release.

Council will ask the community for feedback on how the district’s drinking, storm and wastewater are managed in the future. Consultation runs between Friday, 16 May and 4:30 pm Friday, 13 June 2025.

Read more in our Media Release.

Buller District Council has confirmed the timeline for its Local Water Done Well consultation. Council will ask the community for feedback on how to manage the district’s drinking, storm and wastewater in the future as required under the Local Water Done Well legislation between 16 May and 13 June 2025.

Read more in our Media Release.

Buller District Council reviewed options for managing the district's drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater in the future at a public workshop this week.

At present, the shortlisted options are:

• an internal business unit or division, meaning to keep the status quo
• a single-asset-owning council-controlled organisation (CCO)
• a multi-asset-owning council-controlled organisation (CCO)

Read more in our Media Release.