Frequently asked questions for: Public consultation

Proposed changes to New Zealand’s Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules for supplies that serve 500 or fewer people

Why are we proposing these Rule changes now?

We’re reviewing the Rules in two parts to make Rules for small and medium-sized suppliers clearer, sooner.

We propose that updated Rules for supplies that serve 500 or fewer people apply from 1 January 2025 to align with the annual drinking water regulation reporting cycle. You’ll be invited to provide feedback on this effective date in this consultation.

More specifically, these proposed changes for small and medium-sized suppliers aim to:

• make the Rules more straightforward and streamlined
• reduce overall effort required to demonstrate compliance with Rule requirements.

Suppliers must comply with all Rules relevant to their supply. However, these proposed changes more clearly indicate which Rules suppliers need to, and do not need to, report on to Taumata Arowai.

What can I expect from the consultation?

We’ve grouped Rule changes for:

• supplies that serve 25 or fewer people (Very Small Communities)
• supplies that serve 26 – 100 people (Small Supplies)
• supplies that serve 101 – 500 people (Medium Supplies)
• communities with changing populations. (Varying Populations)

To help save time, you can have your say on proposed changes to Rules for one or more of these supply types, in line with your preference and interests. Everyone also has the option to provide feedback on reporting Rules and the proposed effective date for Rules to apply. If you start responding to this consultation and want to return to it later, select the 'Save and come back later' option at the bottom of the page to save your progress. 

When does the consultation close? 

This consultation closes at 5pm on Friday, 18 October 2024.

Get started!