Join us for our first-ever World Water Film Festival evening, see what’s happening over plans to co-host the 10th IWA ASPIRE Conference in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and check out our two new digital badge learning opportunities – Rural Waters and School Drinking Water (Self Supply) 101.
More on these and other updates below
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Latest Updates
Record-breaking Water New Zealand Conference and Expo
Didn't we have one of the best conferences ever! Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this such a big success.
A special thanks to all our partners, sponsors, delegates, presenters and event organisers. It was a huge event with a record 1200-plus delegates, more than 100 keynote, thought leadership and technical presentations and 185 exhibition stands.
A big congratulations to all our Award winners - it's great to celebrate outstanding achievement across the sector and thank you to everyone who entered or nominated a person or team - again, the standard of entries was extremely high and this made judging very challenging. View here
We hope that everyone who attended the conference enjoyed it as much as we did and that you'll keep an eye out for and join us for other events, webinars and workshops - there's plenty happening so check our website!
See further down for news highlights.
World Water Film Festival and Water New Zealand showcase festival highlights
15 November | 5.30 - 8.00 pm
Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington
Join us for our World Water Film Festival evening and see some great internationally-acclaimed water films.
We're very excited to be showcasing these films at a special event in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington in partnership with the World Water Film Festival first shown in New York alongside the UN 2023 Water Conference.
“The World Water film Festival was a new way to see first-hand the challenges facing the world’s water supply….and might help us generate solutions to our global water problems.”
Find out more and get your tickets to join us for drinks and nibbles before your choice of feature film plus bonus short films. Tickets are limited so don't delay!
Water sector transformation
The final report of our Towards 2050: Transformation vision for the water sector document was launched at the Water New Zealand Conference and Expo 2023 and is now available from our website.
The report outlines a collective vision of where we want the generational change in the water sector to lead us. The opportunities outlined are focused on the development of the sector out to 2050 - starting from today.
Water New Zealand has developed a “Flush your taps” poster for schools and early childhood centres. This can be put up by taps to help remind students and teachers to help them remember that they need to flush out a small amount of water each morning.
The poster is available free from our website here: Click here for Poster. Information on lead in drinking water is also still available through the ESR website: ESR Website
Internationally the focus of this year's campaign is “End Childhood Lead Poisoning” by reminding governments, civil society, health partners, industry and others of the unacceptable risks of lead exposure especially in children. The campaign builds on the success in outlawing the use of lead in petrol and the progress achieved by by many countries in limiting lead in paint.
Water New Zealand to co-host IWA ASPIRE Conference in 2025
Water New Zealand has signed an agreement with the International Water Association to host the 10th IWA ASPIRE Conference in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in October 2025, in conjunction with the Water New Zealand Conference and Expo.
Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe and IWA NZ chair, Marion Savill will be co-chairs of the 10th IWA ASPIRE Conference. Thank you to Marion for the hard work and effort over many years to secure this important industry event for Aotearoa New Zealand.
The decision to join forces with IWA will provide an exciting opportunity for overseas delegates and exhibitors to meet with Water New Zealand delegates and exhibitors to share their experiences and expertise.
We'll be bringing further updates over the coming months.
Closer ties across the Tasman
Water New Zealand and its Australian counterpart the AWA, Australian Water Association, have formally agreed to work collaboratively and share knowledge through a signed MoU – Memorandum of Understanding.
Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe says both organisations share a common purpose to promote safe drinking water and improve environmental outcomes.
She says this increased level of collaboration will provide our respective members with a wider range of opportunities.
The MoU, signed by both parties at this year’s Water New Zealand Conference and Expo, means that the two organisations have agreed to keep each other up to date with their activities, attend each other’s conferences and seek opportunities to work on joint initiatives.
Both parties have agreed to maximise their cooperation and mutual support over the next three years.
Seeking members' feedback
We have drafted submissions for members feedback on the following consultations –
Inquiry into Community Adaptation – relates to funding for retreat and other adaptation actions beyond provisions in existing legislation and regulation.
Emergency Management Bill - introduces critical infrastructure entities and includes water service entities as critical infrastructure entities.
Please share any feedback with Nicci Wood before Monday 30th October.
Industry News
Erin Brockovich, scientists warn of fight for water quality
An American water warrior immortalised by Hollywood has told a New Zealand crowd that water problems are getting much worse.
But Erin Brockovich's message to a Water New Zealand industry conference is that communities can - and must - stand up and fight.
Chief Executive of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, Helmut Modlik spoke of the genuine commitment by the water sector towards Te Mana o te Wai and engagement with iwi after his keynote opening address to the Water New Zealand Conference and Expo 2023 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.
The Water New Zealand Conference and Expo began in the midst of a number of issues across the country related to underinvestment in water infrastructure or the effects of climate change will have into the future.
Troy Brockbank, is a board member of Water New Zealand. He told teaonews.co.nz the need for more investment into critical water infrastructure had been particularly highlighted in recent months, across the country.
Iwi urge council to speed up wastewater plant replacement
Ngāti Rārua have urged the Tasman District Council to accelerate the replacement of the Motueka wastewater treatment plant after the discovery of equipment failures in the plant’s filtration equipment.
Three Waters boss recruits staff as other executives read the writing on the wall
Two chief executives have quit, faced with the threatened repeal of the Three Waters reforms by the incoming government – but one is pushing determinedly on.
Christchurch council reduces water consumption by 13% with SAP
The Christchurch City Council has successfully implemented SAP S/4HANA, driving a 13% reduction in household water consumption. It projects this figure to rise to approximately 20% in the coming year. Subsequently, a quarter of citizens with high water usage—those consuming over 6,000 litres daily—have rectified water leaks.
Draft National Urban Stormwater Modelling Guide Webinar - Workshop
30 October | Webinar
The sector engagement and research completed of Phase 1 of this work has shown there is a clear mandate from the wider industry for national stormwater modelling guidance. The guide itself is approximately 50% completed. This workshop will present the draft guideline structure and content, and request feedback on content and future priorities.
The first deliverable from the National Urban Stormwater Modelling Guide project is now available. The Literature Review and Gap Analysis report captures and reviews current existing urban flood modelling approaches and has informed the draft structure and content of the guide itself.
Living with Urban Rivers | Rivers Group Conference 2023
8 - 10 November | Nelson
The theme for this years Rivers Group conference is Living with Urban Rivers. Over the last few years, we have witnessed many devastating floods throughout Aotearoa | New Zealand and across the globe. Many of our urban areas have been hit hard, particularly in the most recent events. This year's conference will hear from some of those who have responded to these events and help us understand what lessons can be learnt.
Navigating change in NZ dam safety practice: Updates, opportunities, and challenges
13 - 14 November | 8 am - 5 pm
Ōtautahi Christchurch
Dam owners, regional authorities, and technical practitioners are preparing for the Government’s Building (Dam Safety) Regulations 2022 to come into force in May 2024. At this pivotal juncture, the New Zealand Society on Large Dams (NZSOLD) is pleased to announce a two-day symposium and workshop in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 13 and 14 November 2023.
Two new digital badges - rural water and school drinking water supplies
Take a look further down to enrol in one of our digital badge learning opportunities. Our badges are designed to help those working in the water industry, or new to the sector, to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding.
If you've already completed some badges, take a look at our newest ones - Rural Water Supplies and School Drinking Water (Self Supply) 101.
These are targeted at very small community suppliers and fill a significant gap in the training on offer for these groups. Both badges are available as fully online learning packages to allow learning at times and places that suit learners. The new badges include newly developed workbooks which not only support the online learning but also provide a framework for suppliers to develop their own operation and maintenance manual.
See our short welcome videofor participants and look further down for more information on these and our other digital badges.
The adaptation agenda is not new, but appears it is only able to be progressed once people have experienced severe impacts and the scale and scope of damages have become clear. So what have we learned from our experience?
To prepare for the impacts of climate change in a climate exposed and unstable pluvial country we need fit for purpose governance and institutional arrangements that enable implementation of adaptation actions, planning frameworks and decision tools that account for dynamic changing risks, in tune with our Treaty partners, and iwi/ hapu cultural values, and that are inclusive of wider community values. This webinar will address these issues, illustrated with practical examples from New Zealand.
Kai Tak River - Revitalising the Water into an Urban Green River Corridor in Hong Kong
22 November | Webinar
Kai Tak River is a major drainage channel in the East Kowloon region of Hong Kong, collecting stormwater from the hinterland and secondary-treated effluent from a wastewater treatment plant and discharging to the Victoria Harbour.
A case study: How is Waikato Region adapting to climate change and building resilience? The webinar will look at the journey being taken across the Waikato Region on climate change adaption/resilience with a focus on river systems and flood protection schemes that will appeal to river managers, engineers and planners across local and central government, as well as researchers.
In this role you will project manage a portfolio of water and drainage asset renewal and upgrade projects through the design and construction phases. You are also expected to take the lead on complex issues, review work and provide support and technical guidance to the team. Applications close: 1 November 2023
You’ll be part of our lively City Waters team and play a key role in the day to day operation of the treatment plant, ensuring it is operated and maintained in accordance with standard operating procedures and industry best practice.
This role will be the key liaison with external regulation stakeholders and oversee monitoring and investigation into regulatory compliance across our three waters; storm water, wastewater and drinking water.
