Water suppliers

Most people are on a water supply owned by their territorial local authority (TLA) – as a district or city council. There are also a number of smaller water suppliers, and some people manage their own household water supply.

The water supplier:

• extracts the source water

• runs the treatment plant to remove risks or contaminants where needed

• pipes the water to your house.

Public health units

Your local public health unit is part of your district health board. They assess the TLAs in your area and ensure they maintain appropriate water quality.

Public health units investigate an outbreak of a notifiable infectious disease, which includes waterborne diseases like campylobacter.

Who is responsible when?

Regional councils are responsible for the management of source catchments (under the Resource Management Act), while water suppliers are responsible for the water supply from the point of abstraction to the property (under the Health Act).