As at 25 July 2025
Waikato Waters Ltd is the council-controlled organisation (CCO) for delivery of water and wastewater services for its seven shareholding councils.
Delivery of water and wastewater services will shift from the shareholding councils to the CCO in a phased approach from July 2026.
Waikato Waters will have an independent Board of Directors who are currently being recruited. These appointments are expected to be announced in August 2025.
The CCO does not yet have a Chief Executive. This recruitment will be led by the Board.
Until the independent Board is in place, the directors of the CCO will be the chief executives of the shareholding councils. This is a requirement for the transition period only.
The shareholding councils make up the Shareholder Representative Forum (SRF).
The members are the Mayors or their delegates. The SRF is responsible for jointly setting shareholder expectations, appointing the Board and overseeing its performance.
The first meeting of the SRF is 28 July.
The Shareholders' Agreement ensures clarity abut how the shareholders engage with each other, specifies the decisions that are to be brought forward to the SRF, the processes for decision-making and outlines how any disputes need to be resolved.
The Shareholders' Agreement was signed by each of the shareholding councils following their individual council decisions to establish a joint water services CCO.
The SRF (the shareholding council representatives) has responsibility for appointing Board members. The WWL Board cannot be appointed until the SRF is convened in August.
A Board chair is anticipated to be appointed by mid-August with director appointments by late August.
The chief executives of the shareholding councils are a pro-forma Board as an interim measure until the Board is formally appointed.
The Waikato Waters Ltd constitution outlines the rights, powers and duties of the CCO, its Board, Directors and shareholders. It sets the rules governing the way the CCO will operate.
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