Southland District Council will continue to manage its own water services, following the official approval of its Water Services Delivery Plan by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).
The Council’s decision was made as part of the Government’s Local Water Done Well reforms. These reforms required all councils to propose a financially sustainable water services model by 30 June, and submit a detailed plan to the DIA by 3 September 2025.
After consulting with the public, the Council opted to maintain an adjusted in-house delivery model. This approach includes changes to meet new legislative requirements but retains Council’s internal team as the service provider. A clear majority of the community supported this decision, with 97.5% of submissions favouring the in-house option.
The Secretary for Local Government, Paul James, acknowledged the effort and depth of work Southland District Council had put into developing its plan.
Mayor Rob Scott said he was pleased with the decision, stating, “We consulted on that option because we believed we were doing water delivery well already, and then the community confirmed that our current approach was the right one.”
He added, “It’s very pleasing to get this news today. This reform has significant implications for how our key infrastructure is managed and governed going forward.”
Mayor Scott also praised Council’s water team, noting their strong performance and local knowledge: “It is a huge acknowledgement that our water services are already being delivered to a very high standard by our team, who have a wealth of local knowledge and were always best placed to continue doing the work.”
He highlighted the importance of local decision-making in infrastructure delivery, saying, “We have people on the ground on Council and in our community boards who are best placed to determine how local rates should be spent in their communities, so this decision today makes complete sense.”
The new water services model will officially begin operating from 1 July 2027.