Water Services Information Disclosure

Ōtorohanga District Council is a regulated supplier in relation to water supply and wastewater services.

In accordance with the Water Services Information Disclosure Determination 2026 NZCC 3, a regulated supply must disclose the following information to meet the Council’s information disclosure obligations.

These disclosures will be updated as required including if the relevant policies, charges or information change.

Dividend policy

Ōtorohanga District Council is not permitted to pay dividends in relation to its water supply and wastewater activities. Accordingly, it does not maintain a dividend policy for these activities.

In addition, in accordance with the Waikato Waters Constitution, the Stage 1 Shares that Ōtorohanga District Council holds with Waikato Waters Limited do not carry any right to a dividend or distribution.

Policy for Funding Growth

Ōtorohanga District Council uses a variety of methods to fund growth including development contributions, council capital investment projects and renewals, and other funding mechanisms as provided for in Council’s Long Term Plan, Infrastructure Strategy, and Revenue and Financing Policy.

Council seeks to encourage population growth and new development in the district by applying the principles of section 197AB of the Local Government Act 2002 when determining and using development contributions and when allocating the cost of growth-related infrastructure.

A key objective is to ensure the existing community is not burdened by the cost of growth, and the cost of infrastructure to accommodate growth is funded by those who create the demand for that infrastructure.

Water Charges

Ōtorohanga District Council supplies water to residential and agricultural properties through a number of water supply schemes.

Information on current water related charges, connection fees, development contributions and other applicable charges are listed on Council’s fees and charges page and listed below:

  1. Meter charges are a fixed charge which is charged per meter connected to the property (except as noted otherwise)
  2. Water Consumption is charged on a user pays basis; the customer pays for the amount of water used.
  3. The table below outlines the charges for the Council’s Drinking Water Supply Schemes.

    Area Meter Charge (including GST) Notes Consumption Charger (per m3, including GST) Notes
    Ōtorohanga Community $253.00 $2.30
    Kāwhia Community $143.75 Only charged to those receiving extraordinary supply $1.84 In excess of 220 m3 if inside Kāwhia community boundary
    $1.84 In excess of 220 m3 if outside Kāwhia community boundary, with a minimum annual charge of $967.50
    Arohena Rural Water Supply $862.50 $0.92
    Tihiroa Rural Water Supply $1,380.00 $2.24
    Waipa Rural Water Supply $690.00 $1.67


  4. Properties within the Kāwhia community boundary pay a rate for water supply, regardless of whether they receive an ordinary or extraordinary supply. This charge is $967.50 including GST.
  5. A loan rate is charged on all rating units within the Ōtorohanga Community, regardless of whether they are connected or not. This is to fund loan repayments and interest related to infrastructure capital expenditure. This is charged on a differential basis of $0.0001234 including GST per $1 of property value for Commercial category properties and $0.0000618 including GST per $1 of property value for Residential category properties.
  6. A loan rate is charged on all rating units within the Kāwhia Community, regardless of whether they are connected or not. This is to fund loan repayments and interest related to infrastructure capital expenditure. This charge is $0.0003186 including GST per $1 of property value.
  7. A loan rate is charged on all rating units within the Arohena Rural Water Supply area, regardless of whether they are connected or not. This is to fund loan repayments and interest related to infrastructure capital expenditure. This charge is $0.0000123 including GST per $1 of property value.

Wastewater Charges

Wastewater is rated to cover the cost to process all wastewater. All property connect to a wastewater main belonging to a council wastewater scheme are charged.

  1. Connected rating units annual charge per initial wastewater pan $873.68 including GST.
  2. No charge for second to fourth wastewater pan.
  3. Fifth and subsequent stormwater pans charge of $51.10 per pan including GST.
  4. A loan rate is charged on all rating units within the Ōtorohanga Community, regardless of whether they are connected or not. This is to fund loan repayments and interest related to infrastructure capital expenditure. This is charged on a differential basis of $0.0005687 including GST per $1 of property value for Commercial category properties and $0.0002275 including GST per $1 of property value for Residential category properties.