Taumata Arowai (the Water Services Authority) is a

Crown entity A Crown entity (from the Commonwealth term ''The Crown, Crown'') is an organisation that forms part of New Zealand's public sector organisations in New Zealand, state sector established under the Crown Entities Act 2004, a unique umbrella governa ...

that serves as the national water regulator in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It was established on 1 March 2021 following a water contamination outbreak in

Havelock North Havelock North () is a town in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, situated less than 2 km south-east of the city of Hastings. It was a borough for many years until the 1989 reorganisation of local government saw it merg ...

in 2016.

Mandate and functions

Taumata Arowai is regulated by both the Taumata Arowai – Water Services Regulator Act 2020 and the Water Services Act 2021. The agency reports to the

Department of Internal Affairs The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with issuing passports; administering applications for citizenship and lottery grants; enforcing censorship and gambling laws; registering births, ...

. Its objectives include protecting drinking water safety and related public health outcomes, administrating the drinking water regulatory system and having oversight over the regulation, management and environmental performance of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater networks. Its functions include providing national leadership, oversight, communication and coordination in relation to the regulation of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater networks. The Crown entity is led by a leadership board and a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

Advisory Group. Taumata Arowai works with Māori

whānau Whānau () is the Māori word for the basic extended family group. Within Māori society the ''whānau'' encompasses three or four generations and forms the political unit below the levels of hapū (subtribe), iwi (tribe or nation) and waka (mi ...

(families),

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

(sub-groups),

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

(tribes), other Crown entities, public health units, local government bodies, and drinking water supply companies, waste management companies on water infrastructure related issues.

History

Formation

In July 2020, the Sixth Labour Government announced plans to establish a new water regulator. This new Crown entity assumed the water regulatory functions of the Ministry of Health. The Government also passed two laws, the Water Services Regulator Act 2020 and the Water Services Act 2021 to provide the Regulatory framework for the new agency. Taumata Arowai was established on 1 March 2021, and became fully operational on 15 November 2021. In addition to regulating the delivery and quality of drinking water, Taumata Arowai gained responsibility for overseeing the stormwater and wastewater systems of New Zealand in late 2023.

Regulatory work

Following the Queenstown cryptosporidiosis outbreak in September 2023, Taumata Arowai advised 29 local district councils to install water treatment barriers by the end of 2025. By March 2025, 14 councils had taken steps to comply with Taumata Arowai's advisory while another 10 councils indicated they were unable to meet the late 2025 deadline, had deferred it, or opted for another compliance pathway. In September 2024, Taumata Arowai's chief executive Allan Prangnell visited

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori language, Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast List of regions in New Zealand, region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The populat ...

to brief

West Coast Region The West Coast () is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller Distri ...

mayors about the Sixth National Government's plans to relax water services regulatory settings. Mayor of Buller Jamie Cleine and

Mayor of Grey The Grey District mayor, often referred to as the mayor of Greymouth, officiates over the Grey District of New Zealand which is administered by the Grey District Council, with its seat in Greymouth. The current mayor is Tania Gibson. Two predece ...

Tania Gibson welcomed these changes while

Mayor of Westland The mayor of Westland officiates over the Westland District of New Zealand's South Island. It has been administered by Westland District Council since 1989. The current mayor is Helen Lash, who was elected in 2022. List of mayors References

Helen Lash expressed cautious optimism. In late February 2025, Taumata Arowai intervened to assess

Kaeo Kaeo (Māori: ''Kāeo'') is a township in the Far North District of New Zealand, located some northwest of Kerikeri. The town's name comes from the Māori-language name of the New Zealand freshwater mussel, which is found in nearby rivers. Sa ...

's water supply, which had been under a boil water notice since 2015 due to inadequate treatment and high

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Escherichia'' that is commonly fo ...

levels. Wai Care director Bryce Aldridge offered to resolve the matter with six water tanks and a UV light. In May 2025, Taumata Arowai commissioned the

Institute of Environmental Science and Research The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute (CRI). Its purpose is to deliver scientific and research services to the public health, food safety, security and justice systems, and the envi ...

to investigate the presence of viruses in groundwater across the

Canterbury Region Canterbury () is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current form was estab ...

. This investigation was done in cooperation with the

Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council (CCC) is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Ma ...

and

Environment Canterbury Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan, is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's ...

. That same month, the

Central Otago District Council Central Otago District Council is the territorial authority for the Central Otago District of New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () a ...

sought approval from Taumata Arowai for its safety plans for two council water supplies to avoid boil water notices. In late June 2025, Taumata Arowai released a report which showed that 70 schools across New Zealand had water supplies that were contaminated by fecal matter. The water regulator urged the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

to do more to improve its water quality.

Leadership changes

In late August 2024, Local Government Minister

Simeon Brown Simeon Peter Brown (born 8 April 1991) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party. Early life and career Brown was born in Rotorua in 1991. His family moved to Clendon Park, Au ...

appointed former Watercare chief executive Raveen Jaduram as the new chair of the Water Services Authority's Board. He also appointed two new board members Amanda Singleton and Dr Frances Hughes for a three-year term. In addition, Brown renewed the terms of Māori Advisory Board members Riki Ellison and Bonita Bigham. He also appointed Ellison as the new chair of the Māori Advisory Board.

References

External links

{{NZ crown entities/Crown agents New Zealand Crown entities Water supply and sanitation in New Zealand Water in New Zealand Infrastructure in New Zealand Drinking water Sanitation 2021 establishments in New Zealand Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand