Updated drinking water rules published

The Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai has published the Water Services (Drinking Water Quality Assurance) Rules 2026 (the updated Rules) which make changes for supplies that provide drinking water to 501 people or more, following consultation with the sector in late 2025.

This follows work in 2024 to revise the Rules for very small communities, and small and medium supplies.

The updates are part of the Authority’s work to make the Rules clearer and easier for drinking water suppliers to understand and apply in practice, and will support the provision of safe, reliable drinking water for communities across Aotearoa New Zealand.

By improving clarity and consistency, the changes are designed to help suppliers spend less time navigating requirements and more time focusing on delivering safe drinking water.

The updated Rules will come into force on 1 July 2027. Until then, the existing Rules remain in effect. This transition period gives suppliers time to understand the changes, adjust their systems where needed and prepare for implementation. We will progressively release guidance in a phased way through to July 2027 to support this.

The updated Rules reflect feedback received during the consultation, including calls for clearer drafting, practical guidance and more time to prepare for change. We also heard strong support for aligning annual reporting with the financial year, with suppliers indicating they preferred this option because it better fits with how many already plan, manage, and report across the financial year.

To help suppliers and stakeholders understand the changes, we will host an online information session on Wednesday, 1 July, and will host more webinars as we release guidance.

Find out more

Read the updated Rules, information about what changed, upcoming webinars, and supporting documents.