First complete water network report points to 'severe' pressures
New Zealand's first national water network report highlights severe infrastructure pressures, including frequent wastewater overflows and high leakage rates. The report provides a comprehensive look at the state of the country's drinking and wastewater systems.
Why it matters
Public health and environmental safety depend on robust water infrastructure, making this data vital for government reform and infrastructure investment.
*Correction: This story has been updated to correct a figure supplied by the Water Services Authority
The first national picture of water networks has revealed "severe" and "immense" pressures, with an average 31 wastewater overflows across New Zealand every day.
About a third of councils have at least one drinking water network with "very high" leakage levels by international standards, and water use has risen to an estimated 678 litres per connection per day.
Water services previously used to be regulated by the Ministry of Health, but the decision was made to set up a dedicated watchdog after the Havelock North campylobacter outbreak.
The then-Labour government set up the Water Services Authority (WSA) Taumata Arowai as part of its water reforms in 2020, and it was retained under the National-led government which backed the new regulator.
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