Whakatāne Water Services Consultation Postponed

Whakatāne District Council has postponed public consultation on how drinking water, stormwater and wastewater services will be delivered, after two neighbouring councils paused consideration of a proposed shared water services organisation.

The consultation was due to begin on Wednesday, October 7, but has been put on hold after Kawerau and Ōpōtiki district councils paused their consideration of the proposal.

Whakatāne, Rotorua Lakes, Kawerau and Ōpōtiki district councils have been investigating a Multi-Council-Controlled Organisation (Multi-CCO) to deliver water services across the four districts.

Whakatāne District Council has identified the four-council Multi-CCO as its preferred option and was due to seek public feedback from October 7 to November 9.

Kawerau and Ōpōtiki have paused their consideration while they await greater certainty around the Government's local government reform process.

The Government has delayed further progress on the reforms due to the upcoming general election, with individual Head Start proposals expected to return to Cabinet for consideration in early 2027.

Whakatāne Mayor Nándor Tánczos said discussions with neighbouring councils were continuing.

"A Multi-CCO remains Council's preferred option because it offers the greatest opportunity to deliver reliable, affordable and resilient water services for communities over the long term," he said.

Tánczos said the consultation programme had been developed around a four-council model, so the council needed to understand the implications of the pause before consulting its community.

Under current legislation, Whakatāne District Council remains on track to establish an Internal Business Unit to deliver water services by July 1, 2027.

A final decision on the future delivery model had previously been scheduled for November 25.

The council said it would confirm new consultation dates once there was greater certainty about the future of the four-council proposal.