Marae Drinking Water
Government has appointed National Infrastructure (NIFF) to manage and work with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) to deliver a $10m Marae Drinking Water Infrastructure Fund to provide marae with treatment systems, training and maintenance to help them keep their water safe, as well as to meet new regulatory requirements and drinking water rules.
The Marae Drinking Water Infrastructure Fund is intended to improve drinking water infrastructure for marae that are not connected to a town supply, and to provide training to maintain water treatment to the Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai drinking water standards.
Registrations for the programme have now closed, all applications are now being considered, and all applicants will be contacted upon completion of this process.
Rural Drinking Water
Update as of 8 September 2023:
The Rural Drinking Water Programme is intended to improve drinking water infrastructure for marae, kōhanga reo, and papakāinga and other private rural supplies that are not connected to a town supply, and to provide training to maintain water treatment to the Taumata Arowai drinking water standards.
Of the total $30 million available to the Programme:
$20 million was set aside specifically to upgrade water treatment systems for rural marae, kāinga and kōhanga reo, and
$10 million was set aside specifically for other private drinking water suppliers that are not for profit and in areas of high vulnerability.
The funding acknowledges the historic inequities of access to safe drinking water in rural areas.
Funds for rural marae, kāinga and kōhanga reo, as well as other private drinking water suppliers have now been fully subscribed and the Government has advised that registrations are now closed.