Recovered Water Project
Summary
Rotorua Lakes Council is looking at long-term options for managing recovered water from the upgraded Rotorua city Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Once the treatment plant upgrade is finished later this year, wastewater will be treated to a very high standard.
We’re working on finding a solution that protects environment (taiao), reflects community and mana whenua values, is technically and financially viable and supports our community’s needs.
The solution will need to meet new regulations and standards.
Current status
The Recovered Water Working Group met on 6 October 2026 to receive updates on engagement activities, review technical investigations into potential recovered water management options, consider environmental monitoring results, and discuss the project's Multi-Criteria Assessment (MCA) framework
Read the summary in the reports section of the Working Group page
Timeline
The working group will assess options in two stages. Council expects to choose a preferred solution by December 2026.
Timeframe | What happens |
|---|---|
July 2025 | Council approved the project plan, assessment criteria, and working group. |
October 2025 to May 2026 | The working group assesses options against Stage 1 criteria. |
June 17, 2026, | Working group recommendations presented to Council to confirm options proceeding to Stage 2. |
July to November 2026 | Approved options are investigated in more detail. |
November 2026 | The working group recommends preferred solution(s) to Council. |
December 2026 | Council selects a preferred solution which will be included in the Long-Term Plan and consulted in early 2027. |
Project overview
Once the upgrade of the Rotorua Wastewater Treatment Plant is complete it will produce recovered water, which is wastewater that has been treated to a very high standard.
This may create more options for how it can be managed.
A working group has been established to assess options using agreed criteria.
The working group will recommend which options Council, which will make the final decision, should consider.
Engagement with iwi/hapu/mana whenua and the wider community, will be carried out.
The views obtained will inform the decision-making process.
Why Council needs a new solution
Recovered water is currently discharged via Whakarewarewa Forest but with the end of the current resource consent, a new location possibly outside the forest needs to be found.
The ground’s ability to sustain the ongoing discharge is also decreasing.
What is recovered water?
Recovered water is wastewater that will be treated to a very high standard at the upgraded Rotorua city Wastewater Treatment Plant.
This includes higher levels of nitrogen and phosphorus removal and disinfection of bacteria such as E. Coli.
You can view a video outlining the treatment process below:
Working group
The Recovered Water Management Solution Working Group is assessing options for how Rotorua should manage recovered water in future.
The working group includes mana whenua nominated members, elected members, technical experts and wider community representatives.
The group reviews ideas, assesses options against agreed criteria, and recommends which options Council should investigate further.
How options will be assessed
The working group will compare each option using the same set of criteria.
This process is called Multi-Criteria Analysis, or MCA. It helps make the assessment fair, clear, and consistent.
The assessment has two stages:
- Stage 1 checks whether an option can pass basic pass or fail requirements.
- Stage 2 assesses the options against a range of values.
Wastewater treatment plant upgrade
The Rotorua city Wastewater Treatment Plant is being upgraded to improve the quality of treated wastewater.
This will include a higher level of nitrogen and phosphorus removal and full disinfection of bacteria such as E. Coli.
The upgrade will be finsihed later this year (2026).
The Recovered Water Project looks at what happens after treatment.
It will help decide how recovered water should be managed in future.
Latest updates
September 22: The Recovered Water Working Group met on 8 September 2026 to receive an engagement process update, hear a presentation from Working Group member Dr Te Kēpa Morgan on a mauri-centred infrastructure concept, meet the newly appointed Stantec consultant team, and discuss the practical application of Council-approved weightings to the Multi-Criteria Assessment (MCA) Stage 2 process required to determine a preferred option(s) for recommendation to Council.
August 26: The Recovered Water Working Group met on August 4 to discuss Stage 2 of the project, with a strong focus on narrowing the preferred discharge options, Te Arawa engagement, cultural assessment and necessary future investigations to support the required resource consent application for the preferred solution.
August 4: The Recovered Water Working Group met on 4 August 2026 to discuss Stage 2 of the project, including Te Arawa engagement, cultural assessment and the next phase of project investigations.
Read a summary of the meeting under the Working Group Reports section of the Working Group Project page: Working Group & Project Information
Negotiables and non-negotiables
Negotiables
There are several areas where stakeholders— particularly mana whenua, landowners, and the wider community—can meaningfully influence outcomes.
- Discharge Location: While the current site in Whakarewarewa Forest is temporary, the long- term discharge location is yet to be determined. Stakeholders can help identify and assess potential sites based on cultural, environmental, and practical criteria.
- Cultural Values: Mana whenua input is essential in shaping how the discharge system reflects tikanga Māori.
- Community Engagement Process: Stakeholders can influence how engagement is carried out - who is involved, how feedback is gathered, and how decisions are communicated. These negotiables are central to building trust, ensuring transparency, and delivering a solution that reflects shared values and priorities.
Non-negotiables
While the Recovered Water Project invites input from mana whenua, stakeholders, and the wider community, there are several elements that are non-negotiable due to legal, technical, or regulatory constraints.
- Upgrade Underway: The upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Plant is already underway and almost complete. The design and commissioning timeline (mid-late 2026) are fixed and cannot be altered.
- National Standards: Any future discharge solution must comply with the new national standards for wastewater discharge, biosolids use, and overflow management.
- Viable Alternative: A viable alternative to the existing discharge arrangement in Whakarewarewa Forest needs to be found. A new long-term solution must be in place.
- Public Health: Any solution must ensure the safe management of recovered water to protect public health and the environment. Options that do not meet these standards will not be considered.
- Final Decision: Rotorua Lakes Council will make the final decision on which solution is selected after considering the recommendations from the working group
Documents and FAQs
More detailed information is available on the documents and FAQs page.
This includes:
- Working Group membership
- Working group meeting reports
- Frequently asked questions
- PFAS and emerging contaminant information
- Official information requests
- Background documents
