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).
Our team
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Our Board
Get to know the Water Services Authority ‒ Taumata Arowai Board members.Recently updatedFind out more -
Māori Advisory Group
Te Puna (the Māori Advisory Group) was established under the Taumata Arowai–the Water Services Regulator Act 2020.Recently updatedFind out more -
Our Leadership Team
The Chief Executive and Leadership Team is known as Kaihautū o Puni Arowai or KOPA.Recently updatedFind out more -
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Our place in the landscape
Taking our lead from Te Tiriti o Waitangi, we work collaboratively across New Zealand with:
- whānau, hapū and iwi 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.