Affordable Water Reform – Final bill introduced

The Minister of Local Government this morning introduced the final piece of legislation in the Government's Affordable Water Reform.

The Water Services Amendment Bill (Amendment Bill) gives effect to the Affordable Water announcements made by the Prime Minister and Minister in April 2023 (see our previous alert on these announcements here).  
The Amendment Bill provides that the Northland and Auckland water services entity (also known as Entity A) will start operating on 1 July 2024. The other nine water services entities will start delivery of water services, on a date set by Order in Council, between 1 July 2024 and 1 July 2026. The Amendment Bill also makes other arrangements, such as for water service entity amalgamations, shared services, and a water services funding agency.

The Minister anticipates that the Amendment Bill will receive its first reading and be referred to select committee later this month, where the Minister says councils and interested parties will have their chance to have their say. We will know in the coming weeks when submissions are due.

A copy of the Amendment Bill can be found here. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please get in touch with one of our experts below.