NZ InfraWatch
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Waikato Water Supply Programme
Watercare Services (Auckland Council) / Waikato-Tainui alliance · Waikato
A new raw water intake on the Waikato River, a 50km pipeline, a 50-megalitre reservoir at Pukekohe West and a new water treatment plant, lifting treated supply from the Waikato River to Auckland from 200 to 300 million litres a day by the end of 2033. Delivered under an alliance between Watercare and Waikato-Tainui, the first time Watercare has used that model. Sits inside Watercare's $15.2b ten-year capital programme, which is tracked at portfolio level under Auckland Watercare: Water Supply Upgrades; the $1.7b here is the programme's own published figure, not a share of that total.
Data current as at 13 Jun 2026, when the pipeline was last checked against its source.
Key facts
- Region
- Waikato
- Sector
- Water
- Status
- Planning
- Estimated value
- $1.7b
- Indicative completion
- 2033
- Funding status
- Fully Funded
- Lead organisation
- Watercare Services (Auckland Council) / Waikato-Tainui alliance
- Election risk
- Low
Election risk assessment
Funded from water charges through Watercare's approved capital programme rather than Crown appropriation, so it does not depend on a government funding decision to proceed.
Government priority alignment
HIGH: Water security and the catch-up on water renewals are stated national priorities, and the work is ratepayer and charge funded rather than dependent on a Crown decision.
Chronology
- 2026Watercare lifts its ten-year capital programme to $15.2b (late July) and confirms the Waikato Water Supply Programme within it at $1.7b
- 2026Alliance delivery model confirmed with Waikato-Tainui, a first for Watercare; the programme is due to come to market later in the year as roughly a five-year build
- 2033Programme due to complete, taking treated supply from the Waikato River to 300 million litres a day
Source
Watercare's $15.2b plan to bring more water from Waikato (NZ Herald, Jul 2026) ↗ · Auckland water bills to rise as Watercare unveils $15.2b programme (1News, 30 Jul 2026) ↗