Council
- Southland District Council chose an in-house model after wide public consultation across the district
- Nearly all public submissions supported continuing local control with adjustments to meet reforms
- A Water Services Delivery Plan must now be submitted to Internal Affairs by early September
Southland District Council has decided to manage its water services through an in-house business unit, following strong public support during recent consultation.
At a meeting held in Tuatapere, councillors voted in favour of an “adjusted status quo” model, which keeps water service delivery under Council control while making changes required by new legislation. The decision follows the Government’s Local Water Done Well reforms, which require councils to choose and implement a sustainable water services model by 30 June 2025. A full Water Services Delivery Plan must also be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs by 3 September.
The Council carried out a comprehensive consultation process in April and May. This included 10 public meetings across the district and resulted in 200 submissions. An overwhelming 97.5% supported the in-house business unit model.
Mayor Rob Scott praised the community for its engagement and said the result supported Council’s direction. “It was quite a complex topic, but people were interested in being involved in the decision-making process,” he said. “The feedback we received was overwhelmingly in favour of Council’s preferred option, which was very pleasing. This reform has significant implications for how our key infrastructure is managed and governed going forward and it is important we don't get the model wrong.”
He added, “The submissions we received validate the continuing good work done over many years to keep our water infrastructure in top order. It reflects the quality of local governance from our elected members including community boards, and the fact that we have highly skilled staff.”
Council staff will now begin preparing the required Water Services Delivery Plan, with the goal of lodging it with Internal Affairs by the early September deadline.