All New Zealanders need access to SAFE drinking water.
The new legislation called the Water Services Act 2021 creates a new set of rules, standards, acceptable solutions and a new regime for managing and monitoring private and public drinking water supplies. How will the reform affect your business?
Download this free guide to help understand the Reform of the Water Sector (Drinking Water) in New Zealand and the new Water Services Act 2021.
If you are a private water supplier this guide will provide assistance with,
Registering your water supply with Taumata Arowai (the new drinking water regulator),
Complying with the legislative requirements of the Act
Complying with the provision of safe drinking water to your customers
Do you have your own private drinking water supply?
The new requirements affect many communities and businesses which have their own private drinking water supply. The reform package has created a new water services regulator called Taumata Arowai, who now monitors all drinking water supplies in New Zealand. Over the coming months, Taumata Arowai will release more guidance and regulatory documents to help each particular supply in meeting the requirements of the Act. This may require auditing, modifications or upgrades to water supply schemes. We can advise you on your obligations under the Act.
If you own or operate a water supply that is being used as drinking water by people outside of your own home, then you are a drinking water supplier and have responsibilities under the Act.
Is this you? Drinking Water Suppliers include:
- All private persons or entities that supply drinking water to two or more dwellings
- All private persons or entities that supply drinking water to two or more dwellings
- Councils
- A school or other small business supplied by a stream
- A bore or other drinking water supply to a multi-dwelling building (such as multiple separate apartments contained in a single building).
- A bore or spring supplying a commercial business or community hall
- A bore or other drinking water supply to a group of residences within one rural property
- All private persons or entities that supply drinking water to two or more dwellings
- All private persons or entities that supply drinking water to two or more dwellings
- Councils
- A school or other small business supplied by a stream
- A bore or other drinking water supply to a multi-dwelling building (such as multiple separate apartments contained in a single building).
- A bore or spring supplying a commercial business or community hall
- A bore or other drinking water supply to a group of residences within one rural property
Your New Requirements
Taumata Arowai requires you to ensure the following requirements from your water supply.
- Provide safe, aesthetically acceptable drinking water that meets drinking water standards,
- Register their drinking water supply with Taumata Arowai, and renew this registration annually,
- Prepare various plans and strategies such as a source water risk management plan and a multi-barrier drinking water safety plan,
- Ensure there is sufficient quantity of drinking water to support the ordinary needs of consumers,
- Protect against risk of backflow, and meet other obligations if the supply is reticulated,
Learn more when you read our FREE Guide for Private Water Suppliers
or if you have urgent questions, get a FREE Consultation instead.
Please feel free to email us at maria.johnson@gwe.co.nz. As Drinking Water specialists, the team at GWE can advise on Water Treatment solutions and assist with the preparation of some or all of the suite of compliance documentation required by Taumata Arowai.