Frequently Asked Questions

Alpine Waters is the new company being set up by Queenstown Lakes District Council to deliver drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services across the district. It is a council-controlled organisation (CCO), wholly owned by the council and will start delivering the district's water services from 1 July 2027.

A CCO is a council-controlled organisation owned by a council but operating at arm’s length from the council. A CCO has an independent Board of Directors.

In 2025, central government's Local Water Done Well reform required every council to show how it would address New Zealand’s long-standing water infrastructure challenges. The aim of the reform was to:

• Tackle New Zealand’s long-standing water infrastructure challenges by enhancing the quality, sustainability, and affordability of water services nationwide.

• Introduce new economic and quality regulations to improve service standards.

• Ensure water services were future-proofed and financially sustainable.

• Make water services delivery more effective and efficient.

A dedicated company instead of an in-house delivery model was seen as the best opportunity to minimise the rising cost of water services in the long term, attract and retain staff in a nationally competitive environment, and provide effective and efficient water services long term. It means a stronger focus on delivering safe, sustainable water services, and a greater ability to plan and invest for the long term to support the district's growth.

A two-person team with water-sector experience and close ties to the district developed the name and identity, working with a designer. The Alpine Waters board approved them.

The company will be responsible for the district's drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services: the treatment plants, pipes, pump stations and reservoirs, and the day-to-day work of running, maintaining and upgrading them.

Queenstown Lakes District Council owns the company outright, on behalf of the district. The assets and the company stay in public ownership. Under the Local Water Done Well legislation, water assets cannot be privatised.

An independent board of directors, appointed for their skills and experience, is accountable to the council as the shareholder. The board is chaired by Dr Julian Elder. The board has appointed Maseina Koneferenisi as the chief executive. She will lead the company day to day.

The Council will continue to have an important role as the owner of the water company, but it will not be involved in its day-to-day operations.

One of the main ways the Council sets direction is through a Statement of Expectations. This sets out what the Council expects the company to achieve, including priorities such as affordability, service reliability, resilience, investment and customer service.

The water company’s independent Board is then responsible for deciding how those expectations are delivered and for running the organisation.

The company will publish its long term plans in its Water Services Strategy and report annually on its performance. Its planning and reporting documents will be available on its website, and its performance information will also be published by the regulators - the Commerce Commission and Taumata Arowai.

No. Money collected for water services can only be spent on water services. This is a requirement under the reforms, and compliance is monitored by the Commerce Commission.

No, not at this point in time. Queenstown Lakes District Council continues to deliver water services as it does today and will do so until 1 July 2027. Water quality, supply, and the way faults are reported and fixed all stay the same in the meantime.

Contact Queenstown Lakes District Council, the same way as now. This does not change until the company takes over on 1 July 2027, and residents will be told well in advance of any change to contact details.

The service itself does not change. The same treatment plants, the same pipes, and the same crews will look after the district's water. What changes is the company responsible for them.

Decisions about how water services will be charged for and billed under the new company have not yet been made. Charging and billing are separate from the establishment of the company and its name, and nothing changes for now. Information about charging and billing will be shared with the community well before anything takes effect.

Yes, water costs are rising nationwide whatever the delivery model. This is due to stricter standards, infrastructure upgrades, and impacts from climate change. In the Queenstown Lakes District, there is already significant infrastructure investment planned due to our rapid growth, which will have an impact on charges.

The teams who look after the district's water keep doing exactly that. How people and services transition to Alpine Waters is being carefully worked through as part of establishment planning, and services will continue without interruption.