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The Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025 is a new law that helps with decisions about entering Māori land to work on water systems and provides support for getting refunds on water service charges.

Water service providers sometimes need to enter land to work on water infrastructure. If they need to enter Māori land, they must ask for the landowner’s permission in writing at least 30 working days before the date they plan to enter. Getting permission is important so water service providers can do their work and landowners know what is happening on their land.
Landowners may need to pay for water services charges. When the land has many owners, it’s important that the costs are shared fairly among everyone. 

Water services application types

  • This kind of appeal is different from appealing orders made by the Māori Land Court. If a water service provider asks for the landowner’s permission to enter the whenua and there is a disagreement, the provider and landowners go through an internal review process try and find a solution.

    If the landowner does not take part or the review turns into a dispute, the water service provider can appeal to the Māori Land Court for a decision under section 166(4)(b) of the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025.

    If the landowner does not agree with the outcome of the review, they can apply to the Māori Land Court to appeal this decision under section 170(1) of the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025.

    The Court may confirm, change, or cancel the internal reviewer’s decision. 

  • In certain situations, Māori landowners may have to pay for water services. 

    If an owner of Māori freehold land with many owners has paid more than their share of water services charges, they can apply to the Māori Land Court for a ‘charging order’ under section 99 to recover the excess amount paid. 

  • Under section 171 of the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025, parties may appeal to the Māori Appellate Court on a question of law only in relation to a decision of the Māori Land Court around access to Māori land for water infrastructure.

How to apply

Appeal applications can be filed by the water service provider or landowners and charging order applications can be filed by landowners. These applications must be filed by email, by post or in person.

The first step in filing an appeal or charging order application is to gather any supporting documents and complete the general form of application (Form 1). 

After locating the application form, write which section of the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025 which the application is for: 

    • Appeals by water service providers about landowner's permission to enter Māori land to complete water servicing work - section 166(4)(b)
    • Appeals by landowners about the outcome of an internal review - section 170(1)
    • Charging orders by landowners to apply for a refund for overpayments made on water service charges - section 99

You do not need to include specific documents with your application, but you should include all information that helps explain your case.

An application fee of $228 is charged for these applications.

You can appeal a Māori Land Court decision about access to the Māori Appellate Court by filing in a notice of appeal form (Form 13) stating the appeal is made under section 171 of the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025. An application fee of $399.00 is charged for these applications.

For more information, see our Factsheet - Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025.