See our release on the Water Services Entities Bill, our latest Te Wiki o te Reo Māori poster that you can print and put on your wall, and find out about the latest webinars and learning opportunities.
Member ID
WNZ006
Category
WNZ Staff
Latest Updates
Water New Zealand urges no delay in water services legislation
Water New Zealand Chief Executive Gillian Blythe and President Helen Atkins have urged the Government not to delay progress of the Water Services Entities Bill.
Speaking at the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee yesterday (Wednesday), they said that Water New Zealand supports the intent of the legislation to provide equitable access to safe, reliable and affordable water services.
Celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week 12-18 Mahuru (September) 2022
Each year, as part of our Te Wiki o te Reo Māori celebrations, we produce a poster highlighting the inextricable relationship between Māori and wai (water).
This year we are focusing on ‘Te mana o te wai-hine’ and the important role that wāhine (women) have in Te Ao Māori to ensure the sustained flow of the life-giving waters.
Don’t miss this 2 ½ day opportunity to learn from our exceptional keynote, thought leadership and technical presenters, find out about latest innovations, challenges and opportunities in Three Waters, and visit more than 200 exhibition stands.
Keynote speakers include Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta, change-maker and former diplomat Ziena Jalil and Dr Gail Tipa along with George Hawkins, Tukoroirangi Morgan and Taumata Arowai CEO Bill Bayfield. We will also feature a special recorded discussion between Sir Tipene O'Regan and Water New Zealand CEO Gillian Blythe.
This conference is a must-attend for anyone with an interest in the future of the Three Waters - drinking, waste and stormwater in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Join us and be part of the future of water conversation.
Innovations Forum 2022 - call for ideas close TOMORROW
This year at the conference we are introducing a forum to foster water industry innovation in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Get in now to register for the new Innovations Forum and the opportunity to share your innovative, forward-looking products and ideas with water professionals.
Input Needed for Proposed National Masters Degree in Water Engineering
A multi-sectoral group of educators is looking into developing a new nationwide Masters degree in water and wastewater engineering and is looking for members to participate in a team to advance the development plans.
If you are interested, please contact Naresh Singhal at n.singhal@auckland.ac.nz by 17 September 2022.
Three waters products and services at your fingertips
The Water Directory is a time-saving and valuable resource to find the product or service specialists you need in the water industry. See waterdirectory.org.nz
A new new investor-led effort to move corporate water users and polluters to value and act on water as a financial risk has just been launched.
The initiative, led by the non-profit organisation Ceres, has led 64 initial institutional investors representing $9.8 trillion in assets under management to commit to driving sustainable water leadership.
Report Finds Economic Considerations Trump Environmental Needs in Policy-making
A report for Our Land and Water takes a rare ‘behind the scenes’ look at how environmental policy is developed in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The report includes comments from confidential in-depth interviews with policymakers, members of advisory groups, and consultants and scientists involved in the development of the 2020 National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management.
Notice is given for the 2022 Annual General Meeting of Water New Zealand, the trading name of the New Zealand Water and Wastes Association Incorporated, to be held at Te Pae Convention centre in Ōtautahi, Christchurch on Wednesday, 19 October from 7.15am.
Proxy Votes
Under Clause 12.6 of the Constitution, any financial member unable to attend any AGM may appoint any other financial member to be a proxy, provided a proxy form is signed and delivered to the Chief Executive, Gillian Blythe, prior to the meeting. The proxy form can be downloaded here.
Notice of Motion
Gillian Blythe, Chief Executive, now calls for Notices of Motion for this meeting, which shall be with her not later than 5.00 pm on Wednesday, 14 September 2022. Please note that all notices of motion shall be in writing to the Chief Executive and be dated and signed by the mover and seconder, both of whom must be financial members of the Association. Please include an explanation for the reasons of the motion. Any notices of motion submitted after 5.00 pm on Wednesday, 14 September will not be accepted.
Industry News
Ngāi Tahu argues for Three Waters co-governance in Parliament
In more Select Committee news, Ngāi Tahu has made a spirited defence of co-governance on Three Waters reforms, pointing out that Māori assets have historically been seized by governments - including for use as council water infrastructure. Read the Herald report.
Likely cause of Timaru water discolouration confirmed
The likely cause of Timaru’s water discolouration and elevated manganese levels, which impacted resident’s drinking water supplies last summer, was a discharge from silage pits.
PFAS are called "forever chemicals" and, unlike most substances, don't break down or decompose over time. This report focuses on how widespread PFAS contamination is in the US, affecting everything from crops, soil and groundwater to drinking water supplies.
What it's like trying to survive without water in Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi's capital city of 180,000 residents, has been left without basic water supply - including for drinking, cooking and even toilet flushing, following damage to the city's water treatment pumps and flooding caused by heavy rains.
Water and heat stress have slashed Europe’s 2022 crop yields, with forecasts for grain maize, soybean and sunflowers expected to be 16%, 15% and 12% below the average of the previous five years.
Switzerland's vanishing glaciers threaten Europe's water supply
Switzerland's glaciers have lost more than half their volume in less than a hundred years, and the long hot summer this year has accelerated the thaw, a new study shows.
Lightning talk session with Water New Zealand - day to day activities of a Water Engineer
5 October | 5-6 pm
Online
This webinar will be led by our CEO, Gillian Blythe, and will consist of speakers in the field of Water Engineering who will share their knowledge and experience. There is also an opportunity for an open Q&A panel session at the end.
This popular fully online course is held over 8 two-hour zoom sessions. It is designed to help you deepen your collective understanding of connections and interdependencies of wai (water) through a Te Ao Māori lens. As well as an introduction to Te Ao Maori and Te Reo, you'll learn about the indigenous worldview, Te Mana o te Wai, equity and decision frameworks and more.
‘Ka ora te wai, ka ora te whenua, ka ora ngā tāngata’ ‘If the water is healthy, the land is healthy, the people are healthy’.
Would you like to know the basics of how our three waters system works? The business of supplying drinking water and ensuring that clean water is put back into the environment is a complex science. Water New Zealand has developed a number of learning opportunities to help de-mystify the process.
Our online digital badges are designed to be done in four to six hours over a four week period. At the end of each course, you will have an understanding of the fundamentals of how the Three Waters sector works to keep people and our environment safe and healthy. Take a look further down at what's on offer.
Irmana Sampedro, Christchurch City Councils Project Manager - Smart Water Network and Jon Visser, from Ports of Otago on behalf of Dunedin City Council, present on their smart water metering approach.
Both Christchurch City Council and Ports of Otago have a significant smart water metering programmes which include system wide quality and quantity monitoring and commercial use insight.
Join the Smart Water Group for this interactive webinar, facilitated by SWIG Deputy Chair, Hugh Blake-Mason.
Women in Trades (WIT) is a not-for-profit that promotes trades and trades training as a viable career option to women and employers.They are run by people from the trades and trades services industries.
There are two further information events for September aimed at getting women into trade careers.
IWA’s World Water Congress & Exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark, the #WorldWaterCongress & Exhibition will report on the water sector progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The emphasis will be on SDG6, which is dedicated to water and sanitation.
Our virtual coffee catch-ups are a great way for us to informally catch up with members and keep you up to date with the latest happenings. They’re also an opportunity for you to ask questions and tell us what you think. You can also register your interest and catch up later if they're not at a time that suits.
Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules & Acceptable Solutions (Part 4) - post consultation
15 September | 3 - 4 pm
Webinar
Taumata Arowai discusses the outcomes from the consultation process on the standards, rules and acceptable solutions that occurred in the 1st quarter of 2022.
This webinar will focus on "Acceptable Solutions".
Recordings of Part 1 and Part 2 of consultation are available here. The slides from Part 3 on "Large Supply Rules" are available here.
This role will support the Regional Council’s regulatory compliance programme by monitoring compliance of our City and District Council’s water abstraction and stormwater resource consents.
We have an opportunity for an experienced Water Engineer to join our Infrastructure and Property team, providing technical support and assisting on special, large or complex projects, whilst carrying out detailed budgeting and cost control analysis. If this sounds like something you, apply today!
We have an opportunity for you to become part of the Infrastructure and Property group as a Wastewater Engineer, expanding on your already acquired wastewater operations skills and knowledge, to support the wider Water Services team!
This role sits within Wellington Water's Asset Maintenance team. The key purpose of this role is to keep the plants running reliably and producing high-quality water to our communities.
Manager Wastewater Contract and Commercial Connections
This role will see you utilising your extensive water industry experience as you lead the setting of standards and expected levels of asset performance as you mitigate and manage the risk to human health and the environment from commercial connections.