What we do

Our role: drinking water

We regulate drinking water suppliers so that they meet the requirements and standards for delivering safe drinking water. In this capacity, we:

• provide information to help suppliers understand their obligations and any options available to meet them
• monitor supplier compliance with their obligations and take action where needed to safeguard public health
• use data and insights to focus the sector on making improvements in the areas of highest public health risk
• publish annual reporting on drinking water sector performance to create transparency and help lift performance over time
• consult with the sector on proposed changes aimed at making providing safe water simpler or more cost-effective for suppliers and communities
• meet our Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi obligations.

Our role: wastewater and stormwater

We play a role supporting improvements in the environmental performance of wastewater and stormwater networks. In this capacity, we:

• can set measures and standards for network operators to use – in April 2025, we consulted on New Zealand’s first set of proposed national wastewater environmental performance standards
• establish and maintain public registers of wastewater and stormwater networks, so that people have access to information about their local infrastructure
• collect data from network operators on network performance (once measures are in place)
• publish annual reporting on network performance to create transparency and help lift performance over time
• provide the sector with guidance (e.g. best practice guidelines, templates and how-to information)
• work collaboratively with related regulators (e.g. Commerce Commission, regional councils) to prevent duplication for the sector
• meet our Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty of Waitangi obligations.