Watercare Services

Watercare Services (Watercare) is an infrastructure asset management council-controlled organisation (CCO) that manages the drinking water and wastewater services of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Watercare is registered with the New Zealand Companies Office as Watercare Services Limited, and is 100% owned by Auckland Council.[1]

Watercare Services Limited

Type	Council-controlled organisation
Industry	Water industry Public works
Founded	21 August 1991
Headquarters	Auckland , New Zealand
Area served	Franklin, Manukau, Auckland City, North Shore, Rodney, Waitakere
Key people	Raveen Jaduram, Chief Executive
Services	Drinking water Wastewater
Owners	Auckland Council
Number of employees	984 (2019)
Website	https://www.watercare.co.nz/

Establishment

Watercare Services Ltd was first incorporated in August 1991, and formed as a Local Authority Trading Enterprise in 1992. [2] Watercare became a Council-controlled organisation under the Local Government Act 2002 on 1 July 2012. [3] Watercare provides services to properties across the Auckland region including Franklin, Manukau, Auckland City, North Shore, Rodney and Waitakere, with the exception of Papakura, where Veolia Water retails water and wastewater services to homes and businesses under a franchise agreement.[4]

Operating model

On 28 January 2020, the Minister of Local Government, Hon Nanaia Mahuta, released Cabinet papers and minutes setting out intentions for reform of service delivery and funding arrangements for the three waters services nationwide. The Cabinet paper referred to two key challenges of affordability and capability that are facing New Zealand's three waters service delivery. There was specific reference in the Cabinet paper to Watercare as an example of one approach to service delivery that had successfully built capability through the scale of its operations. The paper also noted advantages of the Watercare operating model compared with other jurisdictions, in relation to investment planning and trade-offs between capital and operating expenditure.[5]

Significant projects

Central interceptor

Main article: Central Interceptor

Watercare is building a large main trunk sewer between Western Springs, near Auckland Zoo, and the Māngere wastewater treatment plant. The commissioning of the Central interceptor is expected to bring an 80% reduction in the incidents of sewage pollution of the inner city beaches and waterways that currently occur during wet weather overflows. The project is estimated to cost approximately $1.2 billion, and is the largest wastewater project in the history of the organisation.[6]

See also

• Water supply and sanitation in New Zealand
• Infrastructure asset management
• Water supply network
• Wastewater

References

1. "Companies Register". New Zealand Companies Office. Retrieved 2020-05-03. Company No 519049
2. "The history of wastewater treatment in Auckland, 1878 to 2005". Watercare. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
3. "Who we are". Watercare. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
4. "Watercare". Auckland Council. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
5. "Proactive release of Cabinet material about three waters service delivery and funding arrangements" (PDF). Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Minister of Local Government. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
6. Orsman, Bernard (2019-03-14). "Central Interceptor: Auckland's new $1.2 billion sewer tunnel to clean up beaches". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2019-03-31.

External links

• Watercare