As many district councils across the country are currently seeking public feedback on proposed models for delivering water services and who pays for it, under the Local Water Done Well (LWDW) legislative framework, new data from Perceptive, New Zealand’s leading insights and market research agency, raises an important question: is the public informed enough to be weighing in?

While the LWDW framework plays a key role in shaping how waste, storm and drinking water services are planned, built and paid for in New Zealand, more than half of respondents (55 per cent) said they had never heard of it, with one person stating, “I have absolutely no idea what it is about.”

An additional 19 per cent said they had heard of it but didn’t know any details, bringing the total number of respondents with no real knowledge of the framework to 74 per cent, or nearly three out of four people.

Only a small proportion of those who were surveyed feel informed, with 4 per cent reporting a good understanding of the framework.

Mark Vincett, Director of Strategy at Perceptive, says this highlights an opportunity for councils across the country to better inform residents ahead of and during consultation phase, especially as 85 per cent of New Zealanders rely on water provided by councils.

“The lack of public awareness and understanding of LWDW is concerning and shows that more needs to be done to educate the public,” says Vincett. “There’s a big risk that Kiwis won’t engage in the consultation phase if they don’t know what it’s about or how it can affect them.”

“Being better informed helps to nurture trust, so it’s not surprising that the data also shows there’s mixed public confidence in whether or not councils can decide on the best way to deliver regional water services.”

When asked about their councils' ability to deliver under the LWDW framework, one fifth (21 per cent) said they do not trust the council to choose the best option, with 36 per cent being unsure and 43 per cent trusting their council.

Some also took the time to mention that LWDW feels like a rebrand of the former Three Waters policy without any improvements, with one respondent saying “Seems like we are redoing Three Waters… I wish our governments would stop undoing each other’s work.”

Notes:

The survey was conducted by Perceptive with a sample size of 1,325 individuals. The survey was conducted between January - March 2025. All respondents are over 18 years old.

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