OIA Ref: CAS-01885-K4W4R8
19 December 2024
Matthew Jackson
[FYI request #29277 email]
Tēnā koe Matthew,
Request for information relating to Drinking Water Safety Plans for schools
Thank you for your email dated 21 November 2024 requesting the following information be
provided under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA):
“Please provide a list of the schools that have not submitted a Drinking Water Safety Plan.”
Our response to your request is set out below.
Response
Background
1. We became the water services regulator for Aotearoa New Zealand on 15 November 2021 with
the commencement of th
e Water Services Act 2021 (the Act).
2. Our responsibilities include developing th
e Drinking Water Standards (Standards), and
making th
e Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules (the Rules),
Aesthetic Values
an
d Acceptable Solutions. Collectively, these set minimum requirements for drinking water
suppliers and help ensure communities receive safe drinking water.
3.
Section 8 of the Act outlines the meaning of ‘drinking water supplier’. Water suppliers have
several duties under the Act, including the duty to supply safe drinking water. These broad
statutory duties are complemented by more specific requirements set out in the Rules. There
are different ways to fulfil these duties with a key component being the identification and
management of risks associated with a supply.
Drinking Water Safety Plans
4. Under
section 30 of the Act, the owner of a drinking water supply must prepare a Drinking
Water Safety Plan (DWSP) and lodge a copy with the Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai
(the Authority).
5. Preparing a DWSP is a risk management process. The plan should record the hazards and risks to
drinking water supplies, and how the supplier will manage them to ensure that drinking water is
safe. The plan must be proportionate to the scale and complexity of, and the risks that relate to,
the drinking water supply.
6. The owners of registered supplies were required to lodge their first DWSPs under the Act by
November 15, 2022. Whenever there are material changes to the DWSP, or it is replaced, then
section 30(2)(a) requires the owner to lodge a copy of the amended or replacement DWSP with
the Authority as soon as practicable.
7. Some suppliers do not need to prepare a DWSP if they are complying with an
Acceptable
Solution. Suppliers can switch between lodging a DWSP and fol owing the Rules, and fol owing
an Acceptable Solution at any time provided they notify the Authority of the change.
List of schools that have not lodged a plan
8. There are 418 Ministry of Education schools registered with us as drinking water suppliers.
9. A list of schools that have registered with the Authority as drinking water suppliers, but have
not lodged a DWSP, is included as Appendix 1.
10. As of 26 November 2024, there were 232 Ministry of Education supplies registered with us
without a DWSP who require one. Another 20 supplies have indicated to the Authority that they
are using an Acceptable Solution and so do not need a DWSP. In Appendix 1 these are denoted
by ‘not applicable’.
For further information
11. Other resources related to your request are available to you here.
•
Drinking water safety planning | Taumata Arowai
•
Water supply in schools - Ministry of Education
•
Schools that supply their own water - Ministry of Education
Right to complain
You have the right by way of complaint to the Ombudsman under Section 28(3) of the OIA to seek an
investigation and review of this response. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi
Sara McFall
Head of Systems, Strategy and Performance