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Water Services Act 2021

Standards, enforcement, and other matters - Powers of compliance officers - Power to obtain information

110: Power to question drinking water supplier

You could also call this:

"Compliance officers can ask drinking water suppliers questions to ensure the water is safe."

Illustration for Water Services Act 2021

You can be asked questions by a compliance officer if you supply drinking water. They want to know if you are following the rules and keeping the water safe. They also want to check if you have a plan to keep the water safe. You must answer the questions, but there are some exceptions. Some information might be private, like things said in confidence, and this is covered by the Search and Surveillance Act 2012. Other laws might also stop some information from being shared. You have to tell the truth when you answer the questions. This helps keep the drinking water safe for everyone. The compliance officer is trying to ensure the water is safe and healthy to drink.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS374812.

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Part 3Standards, enforcement, and other matters
Powers of compliance officers: Power to obtain information

110Power to question drinking water supplier

  1. A compliance officer may direct a drinking water supplier to answer any question for the purpose of—

  2. ensuring that the legislative requirements have been, are being, or will be complied with; or
    1. ensuring that a drinking water supplier has been, is, or will be complying with a drinking water safety plan; or
      1. investigating anything that might have, or might potentially have, contaminated drinking water and poses a risk to human life or public health.

        1. The supplier must answer the questions, subject to subsections (3) and (4).

        2. Subpart 5 of Part 4 of the Search and Surveillance Act 2012 (privilege and confidentiality) applies to anything done under this section.

        3. Nothing in this section limits any enactment that imposes a prohibition or restriction on the availability of any information.