Water Services Delivery Plans

Water Services Delivery Plans (Plans) are a way for councils to demonstrate their commitment to deliver water services that meet regulatory requirements, support growth and urban development, and that are financially sustainable.

Through the development of Plans, councils will provide an assessment of their water infrastructure, how much they need to invest, and how they plan to finance and deliver it through their preferred water service delivery model.

Plans are a one-off, transitional requirement under the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024.

The Act sets out the content, timeframe and process for developing and accepting Plans.

Councils are required to prepare Plans, either individually or with other councils, by 3 September 2025 (unless an extension is granted).

On this page:

• Guidance, templates and supporting materials
• What support is available?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Further support

Guidance, templates and supporting materials

The Department has developed Plan guidance, templates and other supporting materials to support councils’ development of Plans.

Further information about the enduring settings under Local Water Done Well, including new water service delivery models and financing options available to councils, is available here: Future Delivery System

Guidance for developing your Plan

This guidance is to assist councils to develop their Plans. It covers:

• A high-level outline of the Plan development process, from preparation and development through to adoption, review and acceptance of Plans
• Legislative requirements for Plans, including content, development process, engagement with communities, submission, acceptance and review, and implementation
• Matters to consider for councils that are proposing to develop a joint Plan
• Guidance and support available to develop Plans.

Councils should review this Plan guidance in detail, alongside the Plan template and other supporting materials, before beginning development of their Plans.

Read Guidance for preparing Water Services Delivery Plans (PDF, 587KB, 52 pages)

Template for Plans

This template is for councils to use to develop their Plan. It includes additional guidance for joint council Plans.

The template is pre-populated with instructions about what information needs to be included in each part of the Plan.

The template can be used ‘as is’ by councils preparing individual plans. Where groups of councils choose to submit a joint plan, they will need to work with the Department to identify an agreed approach to populate the financial and asset information for the joint arrangement. 

Most of the information needed to complete the Plan template is expected to be able to be sourced from councils’ existing public documents. For example, long-term plans, financial accounts and asset management plans.

A separate template for financial projections is available in Excel format, to help councils develop the financial projections for their Plan, and to inform the financial sustainability test.

Download the Water Services Delivery Plan template (DOCX, 269KB, 28 pages)

Template for financial projections and financial sustainability test

This template is to assist councils in developing the financial projections and financial measures to support councils’ self-assessment of financial sustainability, required as part of their Plans.

The template is for councils to populate with their data. It is pre-populated with calculations and chart references, to enable councils to create the information and charts required in the Plan template.

The Department will prepare a version of this template populated with publicly available council data (from councils’ long-term plans), on councils’ request. We encourage all councils to request a populated financial model, which you can do my emailing the Plan team at wsdp@dia.govt.nz.

Download the Water Services Delivery Plan financial template (XLSX, 99KB)

What support is available?

The Department of Internal Affairs is available to support councils in the development of their Plans. This includes:

• Holding virtual information sessions with councils to provide information and guidance
• Providing technical support, such as with Council led financial analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about the Plan development process are here:

Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 199KB, 4 pages)

These FAQs will be updated on regular basis.

Councils are encouraged to contact the Plan team at wsdp@dia.govt.nz if they need support or have questions.

Further support

If councils or groups of councils need further support, they can ask the Minister of Local Government to appoint a Crown Facilitator or Crown Water Services Specialist (at the council’s expense) by making a request in writing.

A written request can be sent directly to the Minister, the Department or sent via email to wsdp@dia.govt.nz.