Ngā hua tāke kaunihera Your rates at work

With key partners, we provide public transport services across the region and we are responsible for the interregional passenger rail service, Te Huia. These services help keep Waikato residents and visitors connected to education, employment, healthcare, friends, family and more.

We deliver the functions of the Land Transport Management Act, overseeing our regional transport network and planning its future, including preparing the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) and Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP). These blueprints coordinate the Waikato’s transport network across district and city boundaries and secure critical funding from central government for the whole region.

Mostly funded by: targeted rates, central government funding

• We’re supporting the Waikato region’s transition to Motu Move, New Zealand’s new national public transport ticketing and payment system, in conjunction with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
• We’re collaborating with other councils to deliver the Hamilton-Waikato Metro Spatial Plan, supporting growth and responding to current and future challenges across the metropolitan area from Taupiri to Te Awamutu and Cambridge.
• The Waikato-Auckland passenger rail service trial was extended in 2026 and is now in its fifth and final year. We’ll continue operating Te Huia and collecting data to inform whether it becomes a permanent public transport service.
• The Regional Land Transport Plan sets out how we intend to develop the region’s land transport system and contribute to national objectives for an effective, efficient, safe system in the public interest. This year, we’ll review and update it to reflect the region’s key transport challenges and priorities.

Through our landscape-scale work across regional catchments, we help improve water quality, protect valuable soils and build healthier ecosystems. This includes promoting, planning and implementing priority restoration projects, controlling pests, and fencing and planting key areas of land.

We also support iwi, landowners and community groups with funding and technical advice for voluntary initiatives that improve environmental outcomes and contribute to healthier ecosystems.

Mostly funded by: general rates, targeted rates, UAGC rates

• Catchments are areas where rainfall and surface water drain to a shared outlet, making them important for understanding water flow, managing resources and reducing risks from natural hazards and land use. This year, we’re implementing harbour catchment management plans for Whāingaroa, Aotea and Kāwhia, continuing co-funded partnership programmes for river and catchment initiatives, and developing a Regional Catchment Management Framework.
• Exotic freshwater clams (corbicula) and exotic caulerpa seaweed are invasive species that can rapidly dominate underwater environments, affecting native species, infrastructure and tourism. This year, we’re supporting the transition to long-term management of these species.
• Alligator weed and yellow flag iris are pest plants that spread rapidly, outcompete other aquatic species and clog waterways and infrastructure. We’ll develop and implement a comprehensive surveillance programme to tackle them.
• Our Natural Heritage Partnership Programme increases biodiversity, inspires and educates people to get involved and supports community-led projects. This year, we’ll grow the programme by increasing funding for community groups.

We share this information, empowering people to make informed decisions about what they do and where they live.

This data also informs the way we manage natural resources and create regional policy. We develop and implement the Waikato Regional Policy Statement, facilitate regional spatial thinking and urban growth management, and coordinate responses to resource management system reform.

Mostly funded by: general rates

• We’re responsible for flood management and land drainage schemes, which help protect communities, roads, electricity networks and other infrastructure. This year, we’ll test alternative funding models for flood management, river control works and drainage services, and engage on recommended options for a sustainable community model.
• Whangamarino Wetland is the second largest bog and swamp complex in the North Island, and Lake Waikare is the largest lake in the lower Waikato basin. We’ll implement the Lake Waikare and Whangamarino Wetland Catchment Action Plan to rehabilitate these significant biodiversity sites alongside local landowners, iwi, community groups and other agencies.
• Our regional coastal plan sets the rules for activities from the high tide mark to 12 nautical miles, or about 20 kilometres, offshore. This year, we’ll progress the plan through the Environment Court appeals process.
• Regional spatial planning coordinates policies and activities so places can grow in smart, connected and sustainable ways. This year, we’ll develop our Regional Spatial Plan to better understand community needs across the region and how we can support them.
• Peat subsidence is a significant issue in the Waikato region. As drained peat shrinks and compacts, land lowers and stored carbon is released as CO₂, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Subsidence can affect wetlands, damage roads and utilities and reduce farm productivity. We’ll continue monitoring peat subsidence and identifying and testing ways to address it and associated emissions.
• We’ve tracked water quality trends in the Firth of Thames since 2020. We’ll continue this work in 2026/27 to better understand ecosystem health and identify potential pressures from catchment activities.

We provide communities with an agreed level of protection from floods by operating, maintaining and renewing flood protection assets, including stopbanks, floodgates and pump stations.

This work reduces the risk to life, property and critical infrastructure (some of which is of national significance), supports economic productivity and improves the resilience of the region’s essential services.

We also manage river systems by clearing obstructions and controlling erosion, and our 92 land drainage schemes support pastoral farming in areas across the region.

Mostly funded by: targeted rates, general rates

• We manage more than $1.12 billion of flood protection and land drainage assets. This year, we’re planning to implement the Infrastructure Strategy for our region, including investigating nature-based solutions to help mitigate flooding.
• We’re continuing work to replace a 1960s pump station at Island Block near Meremere, increasing pumping capacity to meet climate change projections, enabling safe tuna (eel) migration and reducing flood impacts on productive farmland around Meremere and the Whangamarino Wetland. We’ll also upgrade stopbanks and floodgates in the Lower Waikato Zone and carry out fencing and planting in the Thames Valley.
• Erosion and sedimentation cause loss of productive soils and reduce the quality of water communities and ecosystems rely on. We’ll maintain river management programmes to reduce erosion, strengthen priority rivers and recover from the 2026 flood events. We’ll also continue Kānoa – Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit erosion and sediment reduction projects, co-funded by rates from the Waikato-Waipā, West Coast and Coromandel targeted rating areas.

We also work with the primary sector to meet future challenges.

Our Maritime Services team contributes to coastal and inland water safety by maintaining navigable waterways and promoting better boating practice. They monitor adherence to our Navigation Safety Bylaw for the safety and benefit of recreational and commercial users right across the region.

We also deliver education services, including waste prevention, Enviroschools, Kura Waitī ki Kura Waitā and a youth and secondary programme, to empower environmentally conscious communities and the next generation of environmental leaders.

Mostly funded by: general rates, targeted rates, consent fees and charges, UAGC rates

• This year, we’ll manage maritime safety functions at the Port of Taharoa, on the region’s west coast, following their transfer from Maritime NZ to Waikato Regional Council.
• Poorly maintained vessels can sink or become grounded, creating significant recovery costs for ratepayers. This year, we’ll take a planned and strategic approach to managing derelict vessels to help minimise these costs.
• Waikato Regional Plan Change 1 is the first step in a long-term journey to improve the water quality of the Waikato and Waipā river catchments so they are safe for food gathering along their entire length and meet the requirements of Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato, the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River. We’ll implement the change and support the rural sector to meet its regulatory obligations.
• Resource consents are required for activities that may affect the environment or communities. We’ll continue providing efficient consenting, compliance monitoring and enforcement to support sustainable natural resource management.
• The Government is replacing the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) to help unlock development and growth. We’ll prepare for a successful transition to the new resource management system.

We put customers at the heart of everything we do, continuing to improve our customer service capability so people find us welcoming, responsive and connected. We also work to attract and retain great staff and improve our workforce capability.

The Waikato region is the fourth largest in the country (25,000 km2), so we maintain offices in Hamilton, Whitianga, Paeroa and Taupō, as well as a network of depots near remote locations where our operational work is needed.

We also oversee the distribution of discretionary funds to support community organisations whose mahi (work) aligns with ours.

Mainly funded by: UAGC rates, targeted rates

• Open and transparent democratic processes are vital to keep elected members accountable to the communities they serve. We’ll continue this work, including livestreaming meetings so you can see how key decisions are made.
• Under the Local Government Act 2002, we’re committed to strengthening Māori capacity to participate in our decision-making. Because iwi engage with many organisations and authorities, limited resources can affect participation. We’ll support active iwi participation in council collaborative programmes and projects through the iwi capacity fund.

Our work helps the region prepare for and avoid hazards – and minimise the damage when emergency events occur. We’re also working to better understand the projected impacts of climate change and help people make informed decisions about land use in hazard-prone areas.

Mainly funded by: general rates , UAGC rates, fees and charges

• We work to strengthen community resilience so the region can adapt to a changing climate and recover from natural disasters. We’ll continue collaborating with territorial authorities, iwi and communities to provide natural hazard risk and resilience information for adaptation planning and climate change risk assessments.
• We work closely with local authorities, iwi and other groups. This year, we’ll develop a regional resilience framework to guide how we prioritise support for community adaptation.
• Water resource modelling uses computer simulations to understand and predict water flow, quality and availability, helping us anticipate and plan for different scenarios. We’ll undertake enhanced modelling across the region to support internal decision making and provide advice and information to iwi partners, territorial authorities and communities.

To prepare for significant or complex emergencies, the group supports and coordinates all local authorities in the Waikato region, along with the emergency services and other key partners, to ensure those organisations and our communities have the capacity and capability to respond to and recover from emergency events. This includes identifying and assessing risks and, where appropriate, supporting agencies to reduce those risks.

The group also supports partners through increasing consistency in training, systems and processes, and supporting our communities through clear and consistent public information and public education. During significant or complex emergencies, they lead, coordinate or support the operational responses and subsequent recovery activities.

Mainly funded by: targeted rates

• We work to ensure emergency response readiness, with the capability and resources to respond to events and achieve the best outcomes for communities. This year, we’ll implement the Group Plan Actions 2026/27 to guide regional emergency management priorities and work.
• Effective emergency coordination is essential, so we’ll continue working with iwi, local authorities, emergency services and community organisations to ensure a coordinated and inclusive approach.
• Community readiness is central to effective emergency responses, so we’ll deliver training and awareness programmes that support community-led emergency preparedness and response.
• Understanding infrastructure risks from credible high-risk scenarios helps us anticipate weather impacts and plan mitigations. This year, we’ll work with partners to support risk reduction measures that strengthen the resilience of critical lifelines and services.