Formation In July 2020, the
Sixth Labour Government announced plans to establish a new water regulator. This new Crown entity assumed the water regulatory functions of the
Ministry of Health. The Government also passed two laws, the Water Services Regulator Act 2020 and the Water Services Act 2021 to provide the Regulatory framework for the new agency. In September 2024, Taumata Arowai's chief executive Allan Prangnell visited
Greymouth to brief
West Coast Region mayors about the
Sixth National Government's plans to relax water services regulatory settings.
Mayor of Buller Jamie Cleine and
Mayor of Grey Tania Gibson welcomed these changes while
Mayor of Westland Helen Lash expressed cautious optimism. In late February 2025, Taumata Arowai intervened to assess
Kaeo's water supply, which had been under a boil water notice since 2015 due to inadequate treatment and high
Escherichia coli levels. Wai Care director Bryce Aldridge offered to resolve the matter with six water tanks and a UV light. In May 2025, Taumata Arowai commissioned the
Institute of Environmental Science and Research to investigate the presence of viruses in groundwater across the
Canterbury Region. This investigation was done in cooperation with the
Christchurch City Council and
Environment Canterbury. That same month, the
Central Otago District Council sought approval from Taumata Arowai for its safety plans for two council water supplies to avoid boil water notices. In late June 2025, Taumata Arowai released a report which showed that 70 schools across New Zealand had water supplies that were contaminated by fecal matter. The water regulator urged the
Ministry of Education to do more to improve its water quality. In mid November 2025, Taumata Arowai took over the
Northland town of
Kāeo's drinking water supply from private contractor, Wai Care Environmental Consultants, and ordered the
Far North District Council to operate it. The town had been under a boil water notice for the past ten years and lacked running water.
Leadership changes In late August 2024,
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown appointed former
Watercare chief executive Raveen Jaduram as the new chair of the Water Services Authority's Board. He also appointed two new board members Amanda Singleton and Dr Frances Hughes for a three-year term. In addition, Brown renewed the terms of Māori Advisory Board members Riki Ellison and Bonita Bigham. He also appointed Ellison as the new chair of the Māori Advisory Board. ==References==