The September Board meeting of IAWAI-Flowing Waters reflected an organisation which is settling in well in the first two months of full operation.
Reports and discussions today (Thursday 17 September 2026) included operational matters, a look ahead to the development of IAWAI’s next Water Services Strategy and confirmed a plan to improve procurement efficiency at its treatment plants.
IAWAI took over responsibility for water and wastewater services across the Hamilton City and Waikato District Council areas from 1 July 2026. The council-controlled organisation is 100% owned by the two councils and works in partnership with Waikato-Tainui.
IAWAI operates a complex network system of thousands of kilometers of water and wastewater pipes, multiple treatment plants and close to 100,000 connections across an area stretching from Tuakau to Tamahere.
Response processes for unexpected events are vital to manage safety and continuity of service for residents. The Board was reassured that staff and systems responded as expected to recent operational issues including a brief breakdown at the Port Waikato Water Treatment Plant, fuel contamination issues at two wastewater treatment plants and elevated E.coli levels in a stormwater discharge in Pookeno. Learnings from each event have been applied to internal processes to continue to build capability.
The next phase of the water meter rollout is progressing well, with the confirmation of a larger-scale installation of meters in Hamilton East. Around 1500 residential water meters will be installed from October, part of the four-year rollout across the entire city. When complete, the programme will mean IAWAI can deliver a usage-based portion of customer charges across its whole network, something which is currently unavailable in Hamilton.
The Board sought an update on how IAWAI plans to respond to a predicted El Niño summer, with forecasting suggesting potentially lower Lake Taupoo and Waikato River levels, and subsequent increasing pressure on water supply management.
Staff are working across the organisation and other agencies to update drought readiness plans and prepare for operational and community educational measures, alongside the existing Smart Water summer programme.
Before concluding the public section of the meeting, the Board was updated on planning for Water Services Strategy 2, the over-arching plan for the region’s water services for the 10 years from 2027. Staff are preparing a detailed review of the current three-year strategy and building a picture of long-term operational and capital investment, charging methods and planning principles to discuss with the community.
Minutes will be available shortly after the meeting.