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Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025

Structural arrangements for providing water services - Responsibility for providing water services - Territorial authority’s responsibility

9: Territorial authority responsible for water services

You could also call this:

"Who's in charge of making sure you have water services in your area?"

Illustration for Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025

If you live in a certain area, the territorial authority for that area is in charge of making sure you have water services. They have to follow the rules in the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025 when they do this. The territorial authority can ask a water organisation to help them with this job by making a special agreement called a transfer agreement.

The territorial authority is still responsible for making sure you have water services, even if they ask a water organisation for help. You cannot demand that the territorial authority or the water organisation give you a water service.

The territorial authority has to make sure water services are available in their district, and they must do this according to the rules of the Act.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1004284.

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8: Outline of this Part, or

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10: How territorial authority ensures water services provided, or

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Part 2Structural arrangements for providing water services
Responsibility for providing water services: Territorial authority’s responsibility

9Territorial authority responsible for water services

  1. A territorial authority is responsible for ensuring that water services are provided in its district in accordance with this Act.

  2. However, a territorial authority may discharge its responsibility under subsection (1) by entering into a transfer agreement with a water organisation.

  3. Despite subsection (1), no person may require a territorial authority or water organisation to provide a water service to that person.