Questions and answers: Proposed national wastewater environmental performance standards

This initial suite of four proposed wastewater standards cover the most common wastewater management activities, so that they’re focused on the areas where they’ll bring the biggest benefits. These include:  

• discharge of treated wastewater to water (including tailored treatment requirements for small wastewater treatment plants)  
• discharge of treated wastewater to land
• the beneficial reuse of biosolids
• managing overflows and bypasses. 

The proposed standards are not one-sized-fits-all. Environments that are more sensitive would have greater treatment requirements. Where there is very low environmental or public health risk, the requirements would be lower, reducing the cost of wastewater treatment.  

Wastewater standards would set clear expectations about required wastewater treatment for communities. This will support local councils as they engage with their communities about different wastewater options (e.g. where wastewater treatment plants are located and where treated wastewater is released) and their affordability. 

The proposed standards seek to uplift wastewater performance, deliver cost efficiencies and provide public wastewater network operators with the certainty they need to plan and deliver essential wastewater infrastructure upgrades – while protecting the health of the public and the environment. 

For an overview pf the proposal, see the ‘proposal on a page’.  

The proposed standards would only apply to public wastewater networks and treatment plants, which are primarily owned and operated by local councils.  

They do not apply to privately-owned wastewater treatment networks or septic tanks. 

The proposed standards take a balanced approach to ensuring that wastewater management and consenting is cost-effective for the community while protecting public health and the environment. 

Standards provide the certainty needed to enable wastewater infrastructure improvements 

Nationally consistent standards would provide local councils with the certainty they need to plan and deliver essential wastewater improvements.  

Today, wastewater consent conditions vary significantly from place to place. The proposed standards would establish treatment requirements that would be consistently applied to all similar consent applications. This would provide certainty for local councils when planning wastewater improvements and seeking the consents to deliver these. 

Standards create cost efficiencies for councils and communities 

Based on case studies, it’s estimated that councils (and their communities) could save up to 40% in consenting costs under the proposed standards – potentially saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars – while protecting the health of the public and the environment. 

One case study considered an existing wastewater treatment plant in a provincial town with a growing population, which required significant upgrades. It was recently reconsented for 35 years after a five-year planning process. In this case study, under the proposed regime, it is estimated that there would be savings in consenting costs of around $6 million, which would have resulted in an estimated $280 in savings per ratepayer household. 

National consistency will also enable greater standardisation of wastewater infrastructure, helping to make the design, consenting, upgrade and operation of wastewater systems more cost efficient.  

Standards support sector performance uplift over time through increased transparency 

The proposed standards would also require councils to consistently monitor and report on their wastewater performance in key areas. The transparency this provides over time would enable operators and the sector to identify improvement opportunities as well as what is working well to share these insights with others.  

Right now, approaches to managing, monitoring and reporting on wastewater matters vary from place to place and across different consents. This has resulted in a lack of data or poor-quality data, which makes it challenging to assess the impact of wastewater practices on public health and the environment. 

Making the performance of public wastewater networks clear and transparent is an essential first step toward enabling improvements to take place.  

Upgrading public wastewater treatment plants is one of the greatest infrastructure challenges facing New Zealand.   

Much of the wastewater infrastructure in New Zealand was built 30 to 40 years ago and needs to be upgraded or replaced. Additionally, population growth is intensifying demand and increasing pressure on public networks. 

Aging systems increase the risk of wastewater overflowing into rivers, lakes or the sea, impacting communities’ ability to swim or gather food as well as the plants and animals living there. 

A resource consent is generally required to deliver wastewater improvements or continue operating.  

The process to gain a wastewater consent today is expensive and time consuming. Resource consents are developed, assessed and monitored on a case-by-case basis and the process to develop a consent application can be lengthy, uncertain and information intensive.   

With approximately 60% of New Zealand’s public wastewater treatment plants needing to renew a wastewater consent over the next decade, we have an opportunity now to support wastewater improvements and make consenting more cost effective by establishing national standards.

Insights from a wide range of experts have informed the proposed standards.  

This includes representatives of local and regional councils, iwi and hapū, as well as engineers and environmental scientists. 

Find out more about the approach to developing the proposed standards 

Read the research and other information that informed the development of proposed standards.

Once final standards are in place, local councils and their communities will continue to discuss matters like where wastewater treatment plants are located and where treated wastewater is released.  

In future, standards will provide helpful information about costs and treatment expectations to inform conversations between local councils and their communities as they decide between different options to manage wastewater. 

Wastewater matters not included under the proposed standards will continue to be considered under the existing Resource Management Act consenting process and be informed by community feedback. 

Standards cover the most common wastewater consenting matters: discharges to water and land, beneficial reuse of biosolids and managing overflows and bypasses.  

The proposed treatment standards would not apply to discharges to sensitive environments (e.g. pristine waterbodies or near drinking water intakes). Any wastewater consent applications relating to these areas would follow the existing Resource Management Act consenting process and be informed by community feedback. 

For topics that fall outside the standards (e.g. discharge to air, treatment for PFAS or heavy metals like iron and aluminium), the existing resource management consenting process would also apply.

Nationally consistent wastewater standards will bring New Zealand into step with the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, many of which have had similar wastewater arrangements in place for decades. 

Over time, wastewater arrangements in these locations have driven efficiencies in infrastructure investment and upgrades.  

Regional councils remain the primary regulator for wastewater networks. In this capacity, they remain responsible for assessing wastewater consent applications, issuing consents and undertaking any enforcement activity relating to consents. The proposed standards do not change this. 

Once final standards are in place, they will establish treatment requirements that regional councils will consistently apply to all consent applications. This will provide certainty for local councils when submitting a consent application. 

For wastewater management matters that fall outside of the standards, the current Resource Management Act consenting process would apply. 

You can find information about this consultation and make a submission at: 

korero.taumataarowai.govt.nz/regulatory/wastewater-standards 

Consultation on proposed wastewater environmental performance standards is open until 5pm on Thursday 24 April 2025 (noting that 25 April is Anzac Day).  

You can make a submission via:   

• the online survey  
• email at kōrero@taumataarowai.govt.nz or post at Level 2, 10 Brandon Street, PO Box 628, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.  

Your feedback today will inform future standards and how they are implemented.  

Following consultation, all consultation feedback will be analysed to inform a final proposal that will be provided to the Minister of Local Government for decision making.  

Following approval, final standards will be created through regulations under the Water Services Act 2021.

It is intended that the proposed standards will take effect as soon as possible after the Local Government (Water Services) Bill has passed, amending both the Water Services Act and the Resource Management Act. This is expected in August 2025.  

We will work alongside the sector to support the implementation of the confirmed standards, including developing guidance. 

Wastewater standards will be implemented through future resource consents for public wastewater treatment plants and networks as they come up for renewal. Consistent consent conditions and monitoring and reporting requirements will form part of the final standards. Some amendments to regional plans may also be required. 

We will work alongside the sector to develop guidance and support the implementation of the standards. 

As the Water Services Authority, our role is to ensure all communities have access to safe and reliable drinking water. We also have an oversight role in relation to the environmental performance of public drinking water, wastewater and stormwater networks and the ability to set standards and targets for environmental performance.  

As part of our oversight role, we can require information on the environmental performance of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater networks.   

To date, we have prepared public reports on drinking water network performance through our annual Network Environmental Performance Report.  

In future, we’ll expand our annual network environmental performance reporting to include how wastewater standards are being implemented to help with better understanding of the performance of public wastewater networks across the country.  

We’ve worked alongside a range of experts to develop the proposed wastewater environmental performance standards. Consultation feedback will inform a final proposal that will be provided to the Minister of Local Government for decision making.  

Wastewater standards are a key part of Local Water Done Well, the Government’s approach to addressing long-standing water infrastructure challenges.  

Standards are intended to reduce the consenting burden and provide local councils with greater certainty of costs for wastewater network investments – while protecting the health of the public and the environment. 

Find out more about Local Water Done Well on the Department of Internal Affairs’ website.