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Who we are

The Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai is a Crown entity with an independent Ministerial-appointed Board and Māori Advisory Group (Te Puna).

Our vision

Safe water every day for everyone

Kia tiakina te wai, hei oranga mō te katoa

Our name and identity

On establishment, our name was Taumata Arowai. This was later updated to Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai.

Taumata refers to a summit or gathering of people coming together around an important area of focus. Our focus is on improving the performance of the water services sector over time. 

Arowai conveys our focus on wai as a taonga, and our focus to put wai mauri, wai mana, and wai ora at the centre of everything we do.  

Our story

Taumata Arowai was established as a Crown entity on 1 March 2021, following the public inquiry into the Havelock North drinking water contamination event in 2016, which demonstrated the need for a dedicated water services regulator.

We took over from the Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora as the drinking water regulator on 15 November 2021. From 4 October 2023, we took on wider responsibilities for the environmental performance of public wastewater and stormwater networks, extending our role to the full range of water services.

We have a Ministerial-appointed Board and a Māori Advisory Group (Te Puna).

Find out more about our timeline and milestones.

Our place in the landscape

Taking our lead from Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we work collaboratively across New Zealand with: 

  • whānau,hapūandiwi Māori
  • Crown entities, such as the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Health, Department of Internal Affairs and the Commerce Commission
  • public health units (PHUs) 
  • regional, city and district councils, drinking water suppliers and water management companies 
  • all people in New Zealand. 

Together, we work with, regulate and influence the water services sector to help improve outcomes for the health of the water, people and environment.