Tiaki Wai Explained: What Changed for Wellington in 2026

Quick answer

Tiaki Wai is the council-owned water company that took over from Wellington Water on 1 July 2026. It runs drinking water, wastewater and stormwater for Wellington City, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua, and households now pay it directly instead of through rates. Faults on public pipes go to 0800 842 549. Kāpiti is not part of it, and the pipes inside your boundary are still yours to look after.

If you have searched for Wellington Water lately and landed on a different website, you are not imagining it. The old wellingtonwater.co.nz addresses now redirect to tiakiwai.co.nz, and the bills, phone line and branding have all changed.

This guide explains what Tiaki Wai is, who owns it, how the move off rates works, who to ring when water is coming out of the ground, and the part that matters most to a plumber: which pipes are still the property owner's job.

What is Tiaki Wai and what happened to Wellington Water?

Tiaki Wai Limited is the new water services organisation for metropolitan Wellington, and it absorbed Wellington Water when it started on 1 July 2026. It now runs drinking water, wastewater and piped stormwater for Wellington City, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua, serving about 432,000 people.

The change came out of the Government's Local Water Done Well reforms. Before July, Wellington Water managed the pipes on behalf of the councils, but the councils still owned the assets and charged for water through rates. Tiaki Wai is set up as a stand-alone water organisation that charges customers directly, with oversight from the Commerce Commission and the Water Services Authority, Taumata Arowai.

Councils keep some functions for now, until the new IT systems are in place. For most homeowners the visible changes are the name, the website, the fault number and the bill.

The network itself has not changed overnight. Tiaki Wai looks after about 2,543 km of pipe that it describes as largely 30 to 100 years old, and it reports average water loss of 37% in 2025/26 across public and private leaks. That is why leak reports, both on the street and on private property, are still a big part of its work.

Who owns Tiaki Wai?

Tiaki Wai is publicly owned by five councils: Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council, Porirua City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council. Its mana whenua partners are Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika.

It is not a profit-making company and it was not sold to a private buyer. The shareholding councils decided to set it up after public consultation in March and April 2025. Your local council still handles building consents, district plans and rates for everything other than water.

What does the name Tiaki Wai mean?

Tiaki Wai means carers for water. The name reflects the job: looking after the rivers and aquifer the region draws from, and the pipes that carry water to homes and away again.

That supply comes from three places. Water is taken from the Hutt River, Te Awakairangi, at a weir at Kaitoke north of Upper Hutt and treated at Te Marua; from the Wainuiomata and Orongorongo rivers through the Wainuiomata treatment plant; and from the Waiwhetū Aquifer under the Hutt Valley. On average the network supplies over 160 million litres a day across the four cities.

Leak on your side of the toby?

Cheeky's Plumbers can find and fix leaks on private pipes anywhere from Wellington City to the Hutt and Porirua, with a fixed price agreed before work starts.

0800 758 622 Book Online Get a quote

How will my water bill work now that Tiaki Wai charges directly?

Water charges are moving off your council rates bill and onto a separate Tiaki Wai charge. Your council rates drop by the water portion, and the water portion is billed by Tiaki Wai instead.

In the first year Tiaki Wai has inherited four different council systems for setting charges, so the amount depends on which city you are in and on your property. We do not quote bill amounts here; check the charge on your own bill or on the Tiaki Wai billing pages.

Two points catch people out. From 1 July 2026 landlords pay Tiaki Wai for the fixed water services charges, and they may seek reimbursement of metered water charges from tenants. And because most homes in Wellington City, the Hutt and Porirua have no water meter, a hidden leak usually will not show up as a bigger bill. That makes leaks easy to ignore, which is the opposite of what anyone wants.

Who do I call about a leak or a burst main?

Call Tiaki Wai on 0800 TIAKI WAI (0800 842 549) or report it online if the water is coming from the footpath, the road or the berm. If it is coming from inside your property, call a registered plumber.

Tiaki Wai uses 1,520 area meters to watch night-time flows and acoustic equipment to find leaks. The biggest leaks, 40 litres a minute or more, are fixed first, and smaller ones such as a leaking toby may have to wait. Its own advice for leaks on private property is to get a registered plumber to fix them.

If water is pouring inside the house, turn it off at the toby first. In Wellington City the toby is normally about 450 mm inside the boundary, in the berm where possible, under a small plastic lid. Then ring the Cheeky's Plumbers emergency plumber line. For slow or hidden water loss, such as a damp patch under the house or a meter that keeps ticking, book leak detection so the pipe is found before anything is dug up. Split pipes and flooding are handled as burst pipes.

Does Tiaki Wai cover Kāpiti?

No. Kāpiti Coast District Council runs its own water, wastewater and stormwater. It decided on 27 May 2025 to keep these services in-house, moving them into a ring-fenced internal business unit by 1 July 2027.

So if you live in Paraparaumu, Raumati, Waikanae or Ōtaki, Tiaki Wai is not your water supplier and its fault line is not the right number. Contact Kāpiti Coast District Council on 04 296 4700 or 0800 486 486. The council says owners are responsible for repairing leaks in their homes and private supply pipes.

Kāpiti also differs because every connection is metered, a system in place since 2014. The meter and shut-off tap usually sit together in a box with a blue lid outside the property. A leak on your side of the meter shows up as water you pay for, so it pays to act quickly. Our plumber Kāpiti Coast page covers the area.

Which pipes are still the homeowner's job?

Tiaki Wai owns the public network, but the pipes on your side of the boundary are generally still yours. The change of operator did not move that line.

For drinking water, Tiaki Wai describes the toby as the point of supply. The pipe from the main to the toby is public. The supply pipe from the toby into the house belongs to the owner, and so does any leak on it. If the toby itself or the pipe on the street side is damaged, that is a public fault; a cracked supply pipe on your section is private work, the kind we handle as water main repairs.

Wastewater is more complicated because each council set its own rules for laterals, the pipe from your house to the public sewer. In Wellington City the council side covers the part under public roads; in Lower Hutt the owner looks after the lateral right up to the main; Porirua and Upper Hutt sit in between. Our separate guide on who owns which pipe goes through each council, and our plumber Hutt Valley page covers both Lower and Upper Hutt.

Stormwater has one simple rule worth knowing: roof downpipes must drain to the stormwater system, not the wastewater system. If a downpipe empties into a gully trap, it needs redirecting. If you are not sure whose pipe is leaking, you can book online and Cheeky's Plumbers will trace it and tell you before any work is quoted.

Public: water mains, the service pipe to the toby, and public sewer and stormwater mains
Usually yours: the supply pipe from the toby to the house and all plumbing inside
Depends on your council: the wastewater lateral between your house and the main
Always yours in Upper Hutt: stormwater laterals, down to the point of discharge

Area	Water operator	Who to call about a public fault
Wellington City	Tiaki Wai	0800 842 549
Lower Hutt	Tiaki Wai	0800 842 549
Upper Hutt	Tiaki Wai	0800 842 549
Porirua	Tiaki Wai	0800 842 549
Kāpiti Coast	Kāpiti Coast District Council	04 296 4700 or 0800 486 486

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wellington Water still operating?

No. Wellington Water was absorbed into Tiaki Wai on 1 July 2026. Its old website addresses redirect to tiakiwai.co.nz, and the fault line is now 0800 842 549.

Will Tiaki Wai fit water meters to houses?

Not yet. Most homes in metropolitan Wellington are unmetered. Tiaki Wai is building a business case for smart meters, which it expects would take five to seven years to roll out, with meters fitted at the toby.

Do tenants pay Tiaki Wai?

Landlords pay the fixed water services charges from 1 July 2026. Where a property has a water meter, landlords may seek reimbursement of metered water charges from the tenant.

Does Tiaki Wai handle trade waste for businesses?

Yes. From 1 July 2026 the councils delegated trade waste administration and enforcement to Tiaki Wai, with no significant changes to the rules. Councils keep invoicing fees for an interim period.

Can Tiaki Wai fix a leak under my house?

No. Leaks on private property, such as dripping taps, running toilets or broken pipes under the floor, are the owner's responsibility. Tiaki Wai's own advice is to get a registered plumber to fix them.

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