MEDIA RELEASE – 27 July 2026
To Tatou Vai corrects misinformation regarding residential water tariffs
To Tatou Vai is urging the public to rely on current and official information following the circulation of outdated tariff proposal documents on social media.
Chief Executive Apii Timoti said recent posts have incorrectly suggested that residential water tariffs will increase from $1.40 to $1.90 per cubic metre in October this year.
"That information is incorrect."
"The figures being shared are taken from a 2025 Board briefing that included forecasts for future years. Those forecasts were part of the annual tariff review process and were never intended to represent automatic or predetermined tariff increases."
Under the To Tatou Vai Act, water tariffs are reviewed annually. Any proposed changes are considered as part of that review process before decisions are made.
Following completion of the 2026 Annual Tariff Review, completed in June 2026, it was decided that the current residential tariff will remain unchanged for the coming year.
The current tariff remains $1.40 per cubic metre, with the Government continuing to fund the free household water allocation of up to 38,000 litres per household per month.
"It’s disappointing to see outdated documents being circulated in a way that could mislead the public," Timoti said.
"Public discussion is important, particularly during an election period, but it should be based on accurate and up-to-date information."
The Chief Executive also emphasised that the charges are not for the water itself.
"Water is a public resource. What customers contribute towards is the infrastructure and services required to collect, filter, test, store and deliver clean water to homes and businesses, while maintaining and upgrading the network that makes this possible."
"People are not paying for the water itself. They are contributing to the cost of collecting, treating, testing, storing and delivering safe drinking water through a modern network of pipes, pumps, reservoirs and treatment facilities."
"Every dollar collected through tariffs is used to support the operation and maintenance of the water system. It is not a profit-making exercise."
The original tariff model was developed to ensure To Tatou Vai could recover the actual cost of providing water services, encourage responsible water use, and reduce reliance on taxpayer funding over time. The Board briefing notes that the objective is to recover the cost of providing the service rather than generate profits, while also improving the Authority's financial sustainability and freeing Crown funding for other priorities.
“The social media post conflates a forecast with a decision. Those are very different things. Forecasts in planning documents are exactly that—projections used for budgeting and long-term financial modelling. They are not automatically adopted. In this case, the Board has since completed the 2026 review and decided not to increase the residential tariff, making the forecast figure being circulated no longer current.
To Tatou Vai encourages members of the public to seek information from official sources and welcomes questions about the annual tariff review process.
Ends
Background
- Water tariffs are reviewed annually under the To Tatou Vai Act.
- Any approved tariff changes take effect in October following completion of the annual review.
- The 2026 Annual Tariff Review has been completed.
- The residential tariff will remain at $1.40 per cubic metre.
- The Government continues to fund up to 38,000 litres of household water use each month.