Why Water Resilience Matters

Water is essential to life in Wairarapa - it supports our people, our land, and our economy. Reliable access to water underpins food and fibre production, community wellbeing, and the ability for businesses and new housing to grow. Without secure and sustainable water systems, the region’s long-term potential is constrained.

Wairarapa faces complex, long-term water challenges - including ageing infrastructure, limited storage, increasingly variable rainfall, and tightening environmental regulations. The Wairarapa Water Resilience Strategy (2021) sets out a shared regional vision to respond to these issues.

The WEDS Work Programme supports regional leadership, advocacy, and collaboration to ensure water resilience remains a long-term priority for Wairarapa. While national and local government reforms continue to shape future water infrastructure and management settings, WEDS is focused on maintaining momentum, supporting regional understanding, and ensuring the region is ready to act when future opportunities emerge.

Current Initiatives in Delivery

The WEDS Work Programme is currently supporting several key initiatives to build water resilience in the region:

Wairarapa Water Resilience Strategy

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The Wairarapa Water Resilience Strategy (2021) provides a shared long-term framework for improving water resilience across the region. Developed collaboratively by councils, iwi, industry and community stakeholders, the Strategy recognises water as a critical enabler of economic development, environmental wellbeing, and community resilience.

While national and local government reforms continue to shape future water management and infrastructure settings, the WEDS Work Programme is focused on maintaining regional momentum, supporting collaboration, and ensuring Wairarapa is well positioned to respond to future opportunities.

This includes supporting regional engagement, promoting understanding of key water resilience issues and opportunities, and advocating for initiatives that strengthen water security, enable land-use diversification, and support future economic growth.

Water Resilience Education & Networking Series

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Building on the success of the Water Resilience Summer Series (2023-24, 2024-25 & 2025-26), WEDS continues to support the Wairarapa Water Users Society to deliver a Water Resilience Education & Networking Series.

The programme brings together farmers, industry representatives, regulators, researchers, and community stakeholders to explore practical approaches to water resilience.

Through workshops, field visits, presentations, and networking opportunities, the series helps improve understanding of water efficiency, innovation, storage, allocation, and environmental considerations while strengthening relationships across the sector.

The initiative supports greater collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and readiness for future water challenges and opportunities.

Photo by Jet Productions

Completed and Pilot Initiatives

While the work continues, several foundation projects have already been delivered:

A Case for Action

In 2025, the WEDS Work Programme funded the development of "A Case for Action", a report that consolidated decades of research, planning, and stakeholder engagement relating to water resilience in Wairarapa.
Economic modelling demonstrated that a water-resilient future could generate approximately $1.5 billion in additional GDP and around 3,800 more jobs by 2050 compared with a water-constrained future.
The report provides an important evidence base to support future discussions, planning, and investment decisions relating to water resilience across the region. You can access the report here.

Infrastructure Investment at Waingawa

Through co-funding support from Kānoa (MBIE), Carterton District Council and the WEDS Work Programme, process water infrastructure has been delivered at the Waingawa Industrial Estate.
The project provides non-potable water to support industrial users, improving water security for business operations while reducing pressure on potable water supplies.
The infrastructure helps strengthen the resilience and growth potential of one of Wairarapa's key industrial hubs and provides an important foundation for future economic development.

Outcomes for Wairarapa

Short-Term Outcomes

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Continued regional visibility of water resilience: Water resilience remains visible as a long-term regional priority within the WEDS Work Programme despite the current pause in formal implementation activity.
Improved understanding of regional water challenges: Previous planning and evidence-gathering work has strengthened understanding of regional water demand, infrastructure constraints, and long-term resilience challenges facing Wairarapa.
Strengthened relationships and regional dialogue: Initiatives such as the Water Resilience Education & Networking Series support cross-sector engagement and collaboration, helping maintain constructive regional conversations around water use, innovation, and future opportunities.
Readiness for future strategic action: Foundational work completed to date positions the region to respond more effectively when future national policy, governance, and infrastructure settings become clearer.

Long-Term Outcomes

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Improved water security for communities and industry: Long-term investment in resilient and fit-for-purpose water infrastructure has the potential to support business continuity, future growth, community wellbeing, and more sustainable resource use across the region.
Better alignment between water, land use, and economic development: Future regional planning approaches can support more integrated decision-making across water management, land use, environmental outcomes, and economic development priorities.
Increased investment readiness: The strategic and collaborative work completed to date improves Wairarapa's ability to respond to future funding and infrastructure opportunities as they emerge.
Stronger regional collaboration around water: Ongoing engagement and relationship-building across sectors is helping support a more collaborative and informed regional approach to water resilience over the long term.
Long-term regional resilience: Maintaining visibility of water resilience as a regional priority ensures Wairarapa remains focused on one of the most significant long-term enablers of economic, environmental, and community wellbeing outcomes.

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Photo by Jack Austin

Delivery Partners

This work is led and supported by a strong regional partnership network, including:

Greater Wellington Regional Council | Carterton, Masterton, and South Wairarapa District Councils | Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (Kānoa) | Wairarapa Water Users' Society.