Watercare delivers essential water and wastewater services for Auckland. Some of the decisions we make—such as decisions about major infrastructure, where our water comes from, or how wastewater is treated—can have long term impacts on our communities, the environment, and future generations.

Our Significance and Engagement Policy explains:

• how we decide which decisions are most significant

• when and how we will engage with customers, communities, mana whenua, and stakeholders

• what level of engagement you can expect for different types of decisions

The policy helps ensure our decision making is transparent, consistent, and inclusive, and meets our obligations under the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025.

What is “significance”?

Not all decisions have the same level of impact.

Some are operational and part of day to day management, some affect only a small portion of Aucklanders, while others are strategic and highly significant, shaping how water services are delivered across the region for decades to come.

When assessing significance, Watercare considers factors such as:

• the scale and geographic reach of the decision

• impacts on customers, communities, and affordability

• environmental and cultural impacts

• long term and irreversible effects

• impacts on the performance, resilience, or structure of water services networks

How we determine significance

Our Significance and Engagement Policy groups decisions into categories based on their level of significance.

Strategic and highly significant decisions are decisions that:

• affect water or wastewater services across the city or region

• change how services are delivered or structured

• have long term or irreversible impacts

Examples include:

• introducing new or alternative drinking water sources for Auckland

• major changes to how biosolids are processed or disposed of

• decisions that affect strategic water services networks as a whole

These decisions typically involve early and meaningful engagement, including with mana whenua and the wider community. The Significance and Engagement Policy provides guidelines for the types of engagement appropriate for significant decisions.

Have your say on Watercare’s Significance and Engagement Policy

We’re seeking feedback on our draft Significance and Engagement Policy.

Your input will help ensure the policy reflects community expectations and supports meaningful participation in important decisions about Auckland’s water services.

Fill in the form below and let us know your thoughts.

Feedback is open until 24 May 2026.