PwC calls for action on water at this year's Local Government New Zealand Conference

New Zealand's water and wastewater supplies will be in the spotlight when local government leaders are today asked to consider how our country's water resource can be better managed and regulated at this year's Local Government New Zealand Conference.

Sponsoring this event, PwC will discuss key opportunities to improve the supply of water to consumers by examining the Government's 20-year National Infrastructure Plan.

PwC Advisory Lead Partner and Industry Specialist Craig Rice notes, "New Zealand has abundant fresh water, but has a number of issues to consider in the management of the resource including regulation, quality and operator performance. Water operators need to consider what future actions should be taken to keep the flow of clean and affordable water running well."

PwC Local Government Sector Leader David Walker will be a keynote speaker at this afternoon's Water Infrastructure workshop.

Mr Walker says, "New Zealand's low population and abundant supply of fresh water means we have one to the lowest levels of water use per-capita in the world, using just over 1% of our available resource.

"Yet, we face the same challenges as the rest of the world in maintaining a well-regulated and high-performing industry to ensure water quality, the environmentally friendly disposal of waste water and low cost-to-consumer charges.

"We have carefully examined this important challenge and released our publication Water: challenges, drivers and solutions. We are conscious that water has shifted from a plentiful to a scarce resource for much of the world.

"By making changes now, we will avoid similar troubled waters later," adds Mr Walker. -ends-