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How the city’s water services will be delivered in the future will be decided next week.

Christchurch City Council will consider a report at its meeting on Wednesday 7 May to determine which delivery model to include as part of the Council’s Water Services Delivery Plan (WSDP).

Three options were evaluated as part of an Indicative Business Case prepared in response to the Government’s Local Water Done Well (LWDW) reform, which aims to address long-standing water infrastructure challenges around the country. 

The options – an in-house delivery model, a Three-Waters Council-Controlled Organisation (CCO) and a Two-Waters (drinking water and wastewater) Council-Controlled Organisation – were presented to the community for feedback throughout March.

While strategic and financial evaluations found all three models were feasible, the Council identified the in-house model as its proposal.

The Council received 681 submissions, with 612 indicating a preference. Of those, 80% supported the in-house model, 14% the Three-Waters CCO and 6% the Two-Waters CCO.

City Infrastructure General Manager Brent Smith says the consultation showed strong community interest and understanding of the complex decision facing the Council.

“We heard loud and clear that our residents value local control, public ownership, and cost-effectiveness."

“The majority of submitters backed an enhanced in-house delivery model. People want to see their water services managed transparently by the Council ”

“There was also some support for the CCO options, particularly in terms of the potential for investment certainty and operational specialisation.”

“The feedback across all three options gives us important insights into what the community expects from any future approach,” Mr Smith says.

“Governance, accountability, value for money, long-term investment in infrastructure, and maintaining public ownership were subjects that came up again and again.”

“The feedback was constructive and thoughtful. It’s clear our community wants a delivery model that retains local decision making but also ensures services are reliable, sustainable, and future-focused.”

The Mayor and Councillors were updated on the consultation feedback and next steps today. Watch the information session here. Read all submissions here.

The Council report will be available when the agenda is published here on Thursday 1 May.

Staff will continue to work on finalising the Water Services Delivery Plan following the Council’s decision.

The WSDP must be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) by 3 September 2025. The plan will include the financial, operational, and compliance detail required to implement the chosen model.