Testing the water: How councils report on drinking water quality
30 July 2024: Councils that supply drinking water achieved just under 60% of their targets for water supply measures in 2022/23. We encourage councils to investigate the reasons for non-compliance with drinking water standards and prioritise remedial actions, particularly where this could affect water quality and safety.
Regional councils’ relationships with iwi and hapu for freshwater management – a follow-up report
21 May 2024: In 2019, we looked at how effectively Waikato Regional Council, Taranaki Regional Council, Horizons Regional Council, and Environment Southland were managing freshwater quality. We followed up with all four regional councils and spoke with iwi and hapū representatives to see what progress the regional councils had made in response to recommendations we made in 2019 about managing freshwater quality.
Submission on the Water Services Entities Amendment Bill
31 July 2023: We provided a submission to the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Water Services Entities Amendment Bill.
Responses to our recommendations about managing freshwater quality
14 June 2023: We asked the Ministry for the Environment, Statistics New Zealand, Waikato Regional Council, Taranaki Regional Council, Horizons Regional Council, and Environment Southland for an update on their response to recommendations we made in 2019 about managing freshwater quality.
Submission on draft water services legislation
8 March 2023: We provided a submission to the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Water Services Legislation Bill and the Water Services Economic Efficiency and Consumer Protection Bill.
Submission on the Water Services Entities Bill
8 August 2022: Our submission to the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Water Services Entities Bill.
Responses to our recommendations about monitoring water used for irrigation
19 May 2022: We asked the Ministry for the Environment, the Northland Regional Council, the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, the Otago Regional Council, the Marlborough District Council, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and the Environment Canterbury Regional Council for an update on their response to recommendations we made in 2018 about the monitoring of water used for irrigation.
Response about our freshwater clean-up recommendations
13 July 2021: We asked the Ministry for the Environment for an update on its response to recommendations we made in 2019 about the Crown’s investment in efforts to clean up New Zealand’s freshwater.
Reflecting on our work about water management
February 2020: People expect the water from their taps to be clean and safe, wastewater and stormwater to not pollute the environment, and our rivers, lakes, and oceans to be healthy ecosystems that are safe to swim in and to gather kai moana. We've looked at how well public organisations are managing water resources and delivering water-related services for the benefit of New Zealanders ...
Video transcript: Our water management reports
Transcript for a video about the reports we published as part of our water management work programme.
Crown investment in freshwater clean-up
September 2019: We examined how the Ministry for the Environment administered four Crown freshwater clean-up funds for improving lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. Our primary objective was to assess whether Crown funding was being used effectively to improve freshwater quality.
Our observations on Waikato River Authority's freshwater restoration operations
September 2019: We looked at the operational approach of the Waikato River Authority to restoring and protecting the Waikato and Waipā Rivers for additional insight into how different entities manage Crown funds.
Managing freshwater quality: Challenges and opportunities
September 2019: In 2011, we published a report on how effectively Waikato Regional Council, Taranaki Regional Council, Horizons Regional Council, and Environment Southland managed the effects of land use on freshwater quality in their regions. We found that the effectiveness of the four regional councils' approaches was variable. In this report, we assess the progress they have made since 2011.
Using different processes to protect marine environments
June 2019: This report looks at how two groups used two different processes that generated advice to Ministers for establishing marine protection, including marine reserves. Each group used a process that was different in terms of its origin, purpose, scope, and expected outcomes. We examined how inclusive, transparent, and well informed the processes were to identify lessons that could be applied to support the establishment of other marine protection measures.
Flooding is New Zealand’s most frequent natural hazard and causes significant social, environmental, and economic costs. How is your council managing their stormwater systems to reduce the risk of your home flooding?
Managing stormwater systems to reduce the risk of flooding
December 2018: We looked at how Dunedin City Council, Porirua City Council, and Thames-Coromandel District Council manage their stormwater systems to protect people and their property from the effects of flooding.
Sea Change – Tai Timu Tai Pari: Creating a marine spatial plan for the Hauraki Gulf
December 2018: Protecting and conserving marine ecosystems while balancing competing interest groups in the Hauraki Gulf is challenging. We looked at a project aiming to create New Zealand's first marine spatial plan, which would create a healthy, productive, and sustainable future for the Gulf...
Managing the supply of and demand for drinking water
September 2018: We audited three district councils (Horowhenua District Council, Kāpiti Coast District Council, and Manawatu District Council) and one city council (Palmerston North City Council) to understand the challenges they face in supplying drinking water to their communities. We looked at what these four councils are doing to influence demand for drinking water and whether they are taking an integrated approach, using financial and non-financial methods.
Why stormwater management is the unsung hero of urban infrastructure.
Monitoring how water is used for irrigation
May 2018: This is our first of seven audits that will look at how public organisations manage water. For this audit, we looked at how freshwater used for irrigation is tracked and measured. This included looking at how well water meter installation was managed, the quality of data collected from water meters, how the data was used, and whether this was leading to positive changes in the way water is used. We focused on five regional councils and one unitary council from six different regions.
Working together to address water management challenges
In this blog post, we give some examples of how local authorities are working together and with others to address water management challenges.
Introducing our work programme - Water management
October 2017: New Zealanders rely on water for our health, our economy, and our lifestyle. For Māori, water is an important spiritual and cultural resource that is regarded as a taonga...
Managing freshwater quality: Challenges for regional councils
September 2011: We carried out an audit to provide an independent view of how effectively four selected regional councils are managing and controlling land use and related activities for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing freshwater quality in their regions...
Planning to meet the forecast demand for drinking water in Auckland
August 2011: A letter from the Auditor-General to the Chief Executives of Auckland Council and Watercare Services Limited on governance issues and a report on our initial findings and recommendations for Watercare to consider when developing its long-term plans for asset management and for funding arrangements...
Part 11: Planning to meet the forecast demand for drinking water
Local government: Results of the 2008/09 audits.
Local authorities: Planning to meet the forecast demand for drinking water
February 2010: We carried out a performance audit of eight local authorities to help us form a view about how well prepared the country is to meet the likely future demand for drinking water...
Horizons and Otago Regional Councils: Management of freshwater resources
May 2005: This report looks at how the Resource Management Act 1991 framework has been implemented by the Horizons Regional Council and the Otago Regional Council for the management of freshwater in their regions...
Thames Coromandel District Council: Actions relating to a Sewerage Scheme for Cooks Beach and Ferry Landing
June 2001: We believe that other local authorities will find the discussion of the issues dealt with in this report helpful when faced with making similar decisions...
Management of sewage treatment systems
May 1992, ISBN 0 477 02831 4.
Marine Fisheries Management
December 1990, ISBN 0 477 02818 7. Jointly prepared by the Controller and Auditor-General and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
