Watercare Services (Watercare) is an

infrastructure asset management Infrastructure asset management is the integrated, multidisciplinary set of strategies in sustaining public works, public infrastructure assets such as water treatment facilities, Sewage, sewer lines, roads, utility grids, bridges, and railways. G ...

council-controlled organisation Council-controlled organisations (CCOs) and council-controlled trading organisations in New Zealand are what were formerly known as ''local-authority trading enterprises'' (''LATEs''). Introduced under Sections 6 and 7 of the ''Local Government Ac ...

(CCO) that manages the drinking water and wastewater services of the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

of New Zealand. Watercare is registered with the

New Zealand Companies Office The New Zealand Companies Office (a service of the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) is a government agency that provides Business license, business registry services in relation to Corporation, corporate entities, per ...

as Watercare Services Limited, and is 100% owned by

Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...

Establishment

Watercare Services Ltd was first incorporated in August 1991, and formed as a

local-authority trading enterprise A local authority trading enterprise (LATE) was an organisation established in New Zealand under the Local Government Act 1974. The 1989 legislation assigned regional councils planning and funding responsibilities, but not the transport supplier ...

in 1992. The drinking water services provider Metrowater, founded in 1997, was integrated into Watercare in 2010. Watercare became a

under the

Local Government Act 2002 The Local Government Act 2002 (sometimes known by its acronym, LGA) is an act of New Zealand's New Zealand Parliament, Parliament that defines local government in New Zealand. There are 73 territorial authorities (districts and cities), each w ...

on 1 July 2012. Watercare provides services to properties across the Auckland region with the exception of

Papakura Papakura is a suburb of South Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland City Centre. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. The ar ...

, where

Veolia Water Veolia Water (formerly Vivendi Water, originally Compagnie Générale des Eaux) is the water industry, water division of the French company Veolia Environnement and the world's largest supplier of water services. History The Compagnie Génér ...

retails water and wastewater services to homes and businesses under a franchise agreement.

Operating model

On 28 January 2020, the Minister of Local Government, Hon Nanaia Mahuta, released Cabinet papers and minutes setting out intentions for reform of service delivery and funding arrangements for the three waters services nationwide. The Cabinet paper referred to two key challenges of affordability and capability that are facing New Zealand's three waters service delivery. There was specific reference in the Cabinet paper to Watercare as an example of one approach to service delivery that had successfully built capability through the scale of its operations. The paper also noted advantages of the Watercare operating model compared with other jurisdictions, in relation to investment planning and trade-offs between capital and operating expenditure.

Key people

Raveen Jaduram was chief executive for six years, but resigned in October 2020, amidst controversy about his salary. In March 2021, Watercare announced that Jon Lamonte, previously chief executive of

Sydney Metro Sydney Metro is a fully automated rapid transit rail system in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It currently consists of the Metro North West & Bankstown Line, running between Tallawong and Sydenham and consisting of 21 stations on of t ...

, had been appointed as the new chief executive.

Significant projects

Central interceptor

Watercare is building a large main trunk sewer between Western Springs, near Auckland Zoo, and the Māngere wastewater treatment plant. The commissioning of the Central interceptor is expected to bring an 80% reduction in the incidents of sewage pollution of the inner city beaches and waterways that currently occur during wet weather overflows. The project is estimated to cost approximately $1.2 billion, and is the largest wastewater project in the history of the organisation.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Watercare
Auckland Region Water supply and sanitation in New Zealand Infrastructure in New Zealand Companies based in Auckland Companies owned by municipalities of New Zealand