New chapter for water services in metropolitan Wellington starts today

Published on 30 October 2025

The new water organisation for the metropolitan Wellington area is now legally established with the name Tiaki Wai Metro Water Ltd and a four-person Board of Directors in place.  

The new organisation will provide drinking water, wastewater, and piped stormwater services for approximately 432,000 people across the Wellington metropolitan area from 1 July 2026. 

The legal name Tiaki Wai Metro Water reflects that the organisation is a partnership between shareholding councils and mana whenua iwi Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika. 

Tiaki Wai in Te Reo Māori means ‘carers for water’. This name captures the intent to deliver safe, reliable, environmentally and financially sustainable water services in a way that restores te mana o te wai. The name has been gifted by mana whenua.   

Metro Water remains part of the legal name to capture that the new organisation will work across metropolitan Wellington. 

Tiaki Wai Metro Water will be abbreviated to Tiaki Wai. 

The Board are: 

• Will Peet (chair) – Wellington-based independent director and advisor with deep experience in infrastructure, transport, technology, and public sector governance. 

• Jon Lamonte – former CEO of Watercare with experience in transport and logistics.  

• Elena Trout – independent director and civil engineer with experience in transport, infrastructure and energy.  

• Adrian Wimmers – Wellington-based commercial and infrastructure advisor and public sector governance leader.  

The Board was appointed by the Advisory Oversight Group (the council and iwi governance group that guided the development of Tiaki Wai Metro Water).  

Advisory Oversight Group member and Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says the calibre and experience of the Directors will ensure Tiaki Wai Metro Water has a solid foundation. 

“These four people bring a wealth of leadership experience and knowledge of infrastructure and water services. They are the people we need to set the new organisation up for success.” 

Following the legal incorporation of Tiaki Wai Metro Water, the Board will hold its first formal meeting next week.  

Incoming councils are expected in the coming weeks to finalise key documents and appoint the Partners Committee that will oversee Tiaki Wai Metro Water. 

For more information, visit the Tiaki Wai Metro Water website www.tiakiwaimetro.co.nz or contact media@metrowaterwellington.co.nz. 

BACKGROUND 

Director profiles

Will Peet (Chair)  

Will is a Wellington-based independent director and advisor with deep experience in infrastructure, transport, technology, and public sector governance. A civil engineer, Will's career includes leadership roles as CEO of ONTRACK and Chief Operating Officer of the New Zealand Defence Force.  

Currently, Will chairs Site Safe, is a director of Public Trust, a member of the Ministry of Education Risk and Assurance board, and serves as an external member on major project governance groups for a number of public sector organisations, including as independent chair of Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi / Riverlink. Will is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, and Member of the Institute of Directors. 

Jon Lamonte  

Jon has extensive experience in water services leadership, including being a former CEO of Watercare, and the Auckland/Northland Water Services Entity. He was also CEO of Sydney Metro, Transport for Greater Manchester, and Tube Lines Ltd (London). 

Jon is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. 

Jon was also formerly an Air Vice-Marshal in the Royal Air Force, with director-level positions in defence procurement, logistics, and strategy. 

Jon is currently a director on the Board of Waikato Waters Ltd. 

Elena Trout  

Elena has extensive experience as a company director and professional civil engineer who has held a number of leadership positions in the transport, infrastructure and energy sectors over the past 30 years.  

Elena is currently an independent director or chair of several boards including Citycare, Callaghan Innovation, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA), WorkSafe, and has recently retired from Contact Energy. She has held significant roles as an independent chair and advisor to both central and local government. 

Elena is currently the chair of the Board of Waikato Waters Ltd. 

Elena is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a past president and distinguished Fellow of Engineering NZ. 

Adrian Wimmers  

Adrian is a Wellington-based commercial and infrastructure advisor and public sector governance leader with more than 30 years’ professional experience across high-value infrastructure investment, complex commercial transactions and major public sector reforms. 

Adrian’s career has included senior executive roles at KPMG, the New Zealand Treasury’s Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit and as an Acting General Manager at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. He has held governance roles with multiple departmental advisory boards and not-for-profit organisations including the Komiti Pasifika at Victoria University of Wellington and is currently Deputy Chair of the Fale Malae Trust. 

Adrian is a Member of the Institute of Directors and CPA (Aust).  

About Tiaki Wai Metro Water 

• Tiaki Wai Metro Water will own and operate drinking water, wastewater, and piped stormwater services for approximately 432,000 people across the Wellington metropolitan area from 1 July 2026. It will absorb the current provider, Wellington Water. 

• It will be better set up to deliver improved services for communities, with more funding options, a regional focus and new leadership and governance arrangements. 

• Improved services means more reliable water supply, reduced leaks, outages and unplanned disruptions and cleaner harbours and waterways. 

• It will in time have a direct relationship with customers when they have a question or report a fault, rather than via councils.   

• The region’s water assets, with a replacement value of almost $18 billion, will remain in public ownership because Tiaki Wai Metro Water is owned by five shareholding councils. 

• Investment of about $25 billion will be required over 30 years, to catch up on decades of under-investment, address growth, meet new regulatory standards and deliver reliable and environmentally sustainable water services. 

• Customers will pay directly for water services, instead of indirectly through rates.  For the first financial year (2026/27) it is expected that Tiaki Wai Metro Water will operate in line with the budgets set in councils’ Long Term Plans.  This means in the first year households can expect water charges to be in line with what they would have paid as part of their rates bill. 

• Initially, some functions and support will continue to be provided by councils. This will continue until the necessary IT systems are in place. 

• To ensure essential services continue, Tiaki Wai Metro Water will absorb the current operational and support teams from Wellington Water (tier 3 managers and below).