Health and safety
At Waikato Waters, health and safety is at the heart of everything we do. We’re guided by our vision: Te Mana o te Wai, Te Mana o te Tangata – Healthy Water, Healthy People.
We actively care for the wellbeing of our people and partners. We’re committed to continuously reviewing, monitoring, and improving our performance so everyone goes home healthy and safe. We encourage open conversations, curiosity, and feedback – because that’s how we learn and grow.
Our goal is to achieve leading health and safety performance in Aotearoa and be recognised internationally as a high-performing organisation.
Our approach: people, process, performance
Pre-qualification
If you are undertaking high-risk work, or you’re working on our sites, you will need to be pre-qualified through SHE, Tōtika or hold a current ISO 45001 accreditation.
What we expect from contractors
When you work with us, we expect you to:
- Comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and all relevant regulations.
- Provide a Site-Specific Safety Plan (SSSP) before starting work.
- Identify and manage risks associated with your activities.
- Ensure your team is trained, competent, and equipped with the right PPE.
- Report all incidents, near misses, and notifiable events immediately.
- Engage with us openly – we’re here to support, not to catch you out.
Environmental care
We take environmental protection seriously. Contractors must prevent spills, contamination, and pollution, manage waste responsibly, and protect waterways and sensitive areas. Noise, dust, and vibration controls must be followed at all times.
Monitoring and continuous improvement
We may conduct inspections, audits, and reviews. We’ll share feedback and expect contractors to act on it promptly. We also welcome your ideas – innovation and improvement are part of our shared success.
At Waikato Waters, we believe health and safety is about people, not paperwork. We’re proud to work with partners who share our values and help us deliver safe, reliable and affordable services across the Waikato region.