New Zealand National Water Survey - FAQ's
❄
The water industry is facing significant challenges when it comes to how we plan and manage our water resources. Increasing urbanisation, climate change and aging infrastructure will place significant costs on our communities. There is also growing concern over the protection of our water asset and environment.
We are going to need to have an engaged community that understands how these challenges impact on water. This means that we need to have a conversation about challenges and costs associated with water quality. In order to do that we need to have a clear understanding of New Zealanders' perceptions, values and attitudes.
The results will be available to be shared and discussed at our Conference in September. We will also be making the results available to our members and via our website.
The information, data and analysis will be available to all our members and participants to inform your planning and strategic development.
The results will be available on a region by region basis but not on a council by council basis. This is because the survey is designed to provide information to the sector, not to evaluate individual performance. It is designed to help inform councils and members deliver services to best meet customers needs, not to benchmark or compare current performance.
We intend to launch the survey on 1 May and for it to run for six weeks. Prior to the survey, between now and then, we will be preparing resource material for councils and our members to distribute through their communications channels.
We have engaged an international multi-disciplinary consultant, Arup, to conduct the survey. Arup has led a number of similar surveys, including the 2015 and 2016 Australian Water Outlook Surveys.
Arup will run the survey led by a steering committee made up of members of the newly formed Water New Zealand Customer Value Special Interest Group. Go here to see group membership.
It is vitally important that our members and stakeholders support this survey and help us to promote it. We will be running advertising while the survey is underway, but we believe a lot of response will come through social media and other channels, such as information being included in rates bills. We will be providing all councils and utilities with material and collateral to enable them to help us target key audiences. We would be very pleased to hear from any of our members who have any concerns or questions about the survey. Please email or phone ceo@waternz.org.nz or media@waternz.org.nz