For the stormwater sector
Find out about our role in stormwater oversight and leadership, the work we are progressing with the sector, and how you can help shape future priorities.
Stormwater is the water that runs off surfaces when it rains. In urban areas, stormwater is managed through networks that can include pipes, drains, channels, green infrastructure and overland flow paths. These networks help manage runoff, reduce flood risk, protect public health and property, and minimise the discharge of contaminants to rivers, lakes and the sea.
What is the Authority’s role in stormwater?
We provide national oversight and system leadership for urban stormwater networks. Our role includes improving transparency about network performance, supporting nationally consistent approaches, developing sector capability, and using tools such as environmental performance measures and, when developed, National Engineering Design Standards.
Why is stormwater management complex?
Stormwater management is highly localised and shared across many organisations – which makes it complex to try to manage.
Our work is at an early stage and will be rolled out over time in collaboration with councils, iwi and hapū, stormwater operators, technical experts, developers, communities and other regulatory partners.
Stormwater engagement paper
We have developed a stormwater engagement paper to open a conversation with the sector about how we might use our tools and influence to support better stormwater management.
The paper discusses the key challenges and opportunities for stormwater, including public health and environmental impacts, resilience, affordability and the social and cultural significance of stormwater networks.
The paper signals three initial priorities: improving national stormwater data, supporting stormwater risk management planning, and promoting infrastructure standardisation through National Engineering Design Standards.
Read the stormwater engagement paper
The Authority has a range of other possible tools that could support stormwater management as well, such as end of pipe treatment standards, and we’re interested in hearing feedback on these other tools as well.
Feedback will help inform the sequencing of this work and how it can support coherence across the wider regulatory system.
We want to hear from you
We want to hear from people and organisations with an interest in urban stormwater management. Your feedback will help us understand the most important issues facing the sector, and how the Authority can best support well-performing stormwater networks.
To have your say, please complete our survey. The survey is open until 5:00pm, Friday, 27 November 2026.
-
Have your say on how we should use our stormwater tools and functions.Recently updatedFind out more
-
We can progress a range of policies to support improvements in stormwater infrastructure and the environmental performance of stormwater networks nationally. We will be seeking input from the sector to find the best way to develop and sequence these.Find out more
-
Water service providers must develop and implement stormwater network risk management plans under the Local Government (Water Services) Act.Find out more
