Summary
Taumata Arowai is a Crown entity established in March 2021 via the Water Services Regulator Act 2020, to help ensure the safety of New Zealand’s drinking water. The purpose of the law is to establish Taumata Arowai (the Water Services Regulator) and provide for its objectives, functions, and governance arrangements.
One of the objectives listed of Taumata Arowai is to “give effect to Te Mana o te Wai, to the extent that Te Mana o te Wai applies to the functions and duties of Taumata Arowai.” Te Mana o Te Wai is an important ecological concept that protects the mauri (life force) of the wai (water) and recognizes that protecting the health of freshwater protects the health and well-being of the wider environment. Te Mana o te Wai is about restoring and preserving the balance between the water, the wider environment, and the community.
This law is part of the “three waters reform” which occurred after an inquiry into a large outbreak of campylobacter in 2016 in Havelock North’s drinking water. Up to 5,500 people became ill and four people are thought to have died as a result of this outbreak. In 2024, this regulatory body will assume responsibility for wastewater and stormwater networks, becoming the three waters regulator for Aotearoa.
A new version of the Act, which incorporates waste and stormwater, came into effect October 2023.
Related Initiatives
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2026. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/new-zealand-taumata-arowai-the-water-services-regulator-act-2020/.
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