North Waikato ratepayers have been asked to be prepared for a shock as their first rates bills featuring IAWAI water service charges flow in.
However, they are not being overcharged, IAWAI chief executive Peter Winder explains. He says the water component on bills is a split of the previous total charge.
“We appreciate that, at first glance, it could come as a shock,” Winder says. “We want to reassure people the separated water charges with their rates bills are not an additional or new charge.”
Water and wastewater services for people in the Waikato District and Hamilton City Council regions are now billed separately. Similar to Auckland’s Watercare, IAWAI specialises in water services. The expectation is that this should help keep costs down. While ratepayers may be seeing an increase in their bills, rises may have been higher otherwise.
“As was forecast in our first Water Services Strategy, water services costs for the average residential property are similar to last year’s, but the rise for these costs in 2026/27 under IAWAI is lower than was predicted by councils as standalone organisations,” Winder says.
“While we have managed to reduce the projected rises for this year, we recognise any increased cost is tough for people at the moment. The financial challenges faced by water services across the country are well known and this is why government direction and policy led to IAWAI being formed.
“We are working hard to find further efficiencies and minimise the impacts of the historic and new financial challenges we face for our communities.”
As systems transition from councils to IAWAI, details on rates invoices have been combined. Payment options and arrangements which were in place or offered by councils for rates will also apply to IAWAI charges.
In addition, the national rates rebates scheme now includes both rates and water charges. The rebate will be calculated with the total applied in one amount to the council rates portion, IAWAI confirms.
For more information, visit iawai.co.nz or waikatodistrict.govt.nz.
