Water by place
- Dunedin: Dunedin City Council runs water in-house and chose to keep it that way.
- Queenstown and Wānaka: Queenstown Lakes District Council delivers water now. Its company, Alpine Water, was incorporated on 30 June 2026 and plans to go live on 1 July 2027.
- Ōamaru: Waitaki District Council delivers water now, and Southern Waters is due to take over on 1 July 2027.
- Alexandra and Cromwell: Central Otago District Council runs the water until Southern Waters is due to take over on the same date.
Southern Waters and the pipe rules we could confirm
Southern Waters is owned by the Waitaki, Central Otago, Clutha and Gore district councils.
Only Waitaki's pipe rule could be confirmed. Under its bylaw, residents fix leaks on their own property, and leaks outside it go to the council on 03 433 0300.
The Dunedin, Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago councils' pipe rules couldn't be read. Ask yours where its pipe ends before a drainlayer starts.
A Wānaka and Cromwell prosecution
In April 2026, PGDB reported an $8,000 fine for illegal plumbing and drainlaying at five Otago properties. The work included drains, water pipes and a hot water cylinder. The man had also signed a producer statement using another practitioner's registration number.
Match the name to the paperwork
That case is why a name check matters. Search the PGDB register by the person's first and last name, and make sure any registration number on your paperwork is theirs.
Look for a current licence, shown by a tick or green on the register, rather than a bare listing.
Cylinders and gas
Swapping a cylinder needs no consent when the replacement contains a controlled heat source or is connected to one, and an authorised person does the work. Other swaps may need a building consent, so ask your council.
Gas jobs need a Gas Safety Certificate once finished and connected. Installing a brand-new appliance is general gasfitting, which also needs a certificate of compliance.
What we would do in Otago
Given the Wānaka and Cromwell case, ask for the names of everyone who'll be on site before any plumbing starts, and check each one on the register. In Ōamaru, a leak on your side of the boundary is yours to have fixed. For work near the boundary anywhere else in Otago, ask the council first where its pipe stops.
Send us the job, and an Otago tradie who specialises in it can take it. Only the tradie who takes it sees your phone number and email. Around Dunedin, see Mosgiel and Brighton.