Far North District Council ordered to intervene in Kāeo's private water supply

• The Far North District Council has been ordered to intervene in Kāeo's troubled private water supply.
• It's the first time the national water regulator has used its legal powers to force a council to make a private water supply safe.
• Kāeo has been under a boil-water notice for more than 10 years, and the water supply owner has been trespassed from the treatment plant.
• The council sold the water supply to a private operator in 2000.

New Zealand's national water authority has for the first time ordered a council to intervene in a private water supply it says is failing to address basic safety concerns.

Taumata Arowai/The Water Services Authority has instructed the Far North District Council to work with Wai Care Environmental Consultants, which operates Kāeo's town water supply, to come up with a solution to the town's long-running water woes.

The small Far North town has been under a boil-water notice for more than 10 years.

The authority's head of operations, Steve Taylor, said all options were on the table - including ordering the council to take over the water supply.

"Our first priority is the protection of public health. When this is at risk, all options need to be considered, including the transfer of responsibility to the council."

It was the first time the authority had used its legal powers to require a council to take action on a private water supply.

The rare move comes after media reports in July about the town's decade-long boil-water notice, and RNZ's revelations that the water supply operator had been trespassed from the treatment plant amid claims over unpaid rent.

As a result, plant maintenance had to be carried out under police escort.

In August the authority met the operator, Kāeo man Bryce Aldridge, and asked him to come up with a plan to address the supply's long-standing safety problems.

The plan also needed to include an explanation of how the improvements would be funded.

However, Taylor said the plan provided by Wai Care did not meet fundamental safety concerns.

The council was not the drinking water supplier for Kāeo, but it had a duty to ensure people in the Far North had access to safe drinking water when a supplier was facing significant problems, he said.

The authority had "extensive engagement" with Wai Care before resorting to its legal powers.

"Boil water advisories are intended to be a temporary safety measure, not a long-term fix. Both the authority and the community want to see a resolution that provides safe drinking water," Taylor said.

"While this may not be a quick fix, we will continue working alongside Far North District Council and the supplier to secure a safe drinking water solution for Kāeo."

Taylor said the authority would always work with suppliers to find a pathway to safe drinking water, which included education and offering suppliers the tools to improve.

Some Kāeo residents have complained the water, as well as being unsafe to drink, was discoloured or unreliable.

RNZ understands the town had been without drinking water for six days when the order was made.

Aldridge would say only that he supported the statement issued by Taumata Arowai, announcing that the authority was convening discussions between the council and Wai Care.

The council previously told RNZ it did not want to take over the Kāeo water supply, and had not budgeted to do so in its Long-Term Plan.

Instead, the council's preference was for the current owner-operator to work with the authority to come up with a solution.

In an online statement released on Thursday, the council's head of infrastructure, Tanya Proctor, said she welcomed the involvement of Taumata Arowai.

"We're keen to explore options with Wai Care to help resolve long-standing water quality issues for affected Kāeo residents and businesses. At the same time, we need to be mindful of our budget constraints and ensure that the interests of Far North ratepayers are protected."

The next step would involve council staff meeting Wai Care to assess existing water infrastructure and possible solutions.

Kāeo's boil-water notice was issued in July 2015 due to levels of E coli bacteria in the water.

Wai Care supplies fewer than 30 customers, a mix of homes, businesses and public facilities such as Whangaroa Memorial Hall, along Kāeo's main street.

Until the year 2000 Kāeo's water supply was owned by the Far North District Council.

The council sold it to Doubtless Bay Water, which pulled out in 2008, saying it was not economically viable.

It was then bought for a nominal sum by Wai Care.

Iwi keen to play a role

The main iwi organisation in the Kāeo area, Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa, has welcomed the authority's move.

Pou arahi or cultural manager Raniera Kaio said the rūnanga felt "very buoyed" by the latest development in the water saga.

"It acknowledges the urgency of the situation, and the need for decisive and coordinated action."

The boil-water notice had been in place far too long, Kaio said.

"We're going on 10-plus years … I think the residents of Kāeo will be very happy with the direction from Taumata Arowai."

"Our whānau, our businesses, our community facilities have endured unsafe water under a boil notice for a long time, and this has impacted life, it's impacted public health, it's impacted economic well-being in our rohe."

Kaio hoped the rūnanga would now have an opportunity to work with the council and the water authority to design a safe and sustainable solution for the town's water supply.

"If this direction from Taumata Arowai allows for iwi involvement, we're definitely keen to be part of that."

Kāeo is a small town on State Highway 10 about 30km north of Kerikeri.

Taumata Arowai was established by the government in 2021.

Next year responsibility for all Northland's drinking water and wastewater systems is expected to pass to a newly created, region-wide council-controlled organisation, as part of the government's water reforms.

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