Taumata Arowai
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Taumata Arowai
The new drinking water regulator, Taumata Arowai became operational on 15 November 2021. As well as regulating the delivery and quality of drinking water, the new entity will also have oversight of the wastewater and stormwater systems of Aotearoa in late 2023.
Taumata Arowai is a Crown entity with a Ministerial-appointed board. Alongside the independent board is a Māori Advisory Group.
You now need to notify Taumata Arowai if you have any issues which could affect the safety or compliance of the drinking water you provide.
Wastewater and stormwater provisions under the Water Services Act will move to Taumata Arowai in late 2023.
Culture shift
A key change in the new environment is a culture shift from a focus on a compliance-based model to providing a duty of care and managing all risks. This has shaped the approach to Drinking Water Safety Plans (DWSP).
The new regulator’s priority is to ensure you can provide a reliable supply of safe drinking water to your consumers. This means you need to focus on understanding and managing the risks associated with your supplies and not only on the completion of a written DWSP.
Māori interests
Taumata Arowai is planning a webinar series to address Māori interests in drinking water supply. This will kick off on 3 December this year. Go to www.taumataarowai.govt.nz
Timelines
- Roadmap of the year ahead - Registered Suppliers, Labs, Water Carriers
- Roadmap of the year ahead - Unregistered Suppliers
Governance documents
See the new regulator's Statement of Intent 2022-2026, Statement of Performance Expectations and Compliance 2022-23, Monitoring and Enforcement Strategy 2022-2025
Drinking Water Rules
As a result of the water reforms, anyone who supplies drinking water should have effective ways to identify and manage risks to ensure drinking water is safe.
Wastewater and Stormwater
Taumata Arowai will have a future role in relation to wastewater and stormwater network performance. From 2023, Taumata Arowai will monitor and report on the environmental performance of wastewater and stormwater networks.
For more detailed information head to taumataarowai.govt.nz