Latest update
On 6 June 2024, the Council adopted the Water Services Bylaw 2024. The updated Bylaw is now published on the Council’s website. Thank you for your involvement in the public consultation process. A summary of submissions and officers' response is available here.
What does the bylaw do?
The Water Services Bylaw (Part 8: Water Services of the Wellington City Consolidated Bylaw) is a regulatory tool that addresses some key water services issues which are not sufficiently covered by other regulations or legislation. The bylaw includes requirements or regulations for:
- connections to the public water supply
- different types of water supply
- ownership and maintenance responsibilities between the customer and the Council
- compliance with water restrictions to manage demand, or during an emergency
- backflow prevention, water meters, and flow restrictors
- working around buried services.
Why are we reviewing the bylaw?
Under the Local Government Act 2002, the Council is required to review bylaws within set timeframes. If we don’t review the bylaw now, it will expire in August 2024.
What are the proposed changes to the bylaw?
Many parts of the current bylaw are functioning well and continue to be required, so we are not proposing changes in these areas. However, we have identified some necessary updates which fall under five key proposals:
- Proposal 1: Five key updates to provide better protections for public water services infrastructure.
- Proposal 2: Four key updates to ensure better alignment of water services matters within the Wellington region.
- Proposal 3: Four key updates to reflect changes to legislative responsibilities since the introduction of Taumata Arowai (the national regulator for water services) and the Water Services Act 2021.
- Proposal 4: Updates to existing definitions and the addition of new definitions for key terms used in the bylaw.
- Proposal 5: Minor updates throughout the bylaw to improve readability, clarity, and flow.
Key drivers for these necessary updates include changes in the central government regulatory environment, the need to better protect public water services infrastructure, and opportunities to improve regional alignment.
