Prompted by the Government’s Local Water Done Well policy, a new council-owned organisation is to be established to deliver water services for the Wellington metropolitan area. The new organisation, with the interim name Metro Water, will own and operate public drinking water, wastewater and stormwater assets and networks for a population of around 430,000 people. The goal is to ensure the delivery of safe, reliable, environmentally and financially sustainable water services so the region can be resilient, restore Te Mana o te Wai and enable new homes and the wellbeing of communities.
The establishment of Metro Water is underway with an Establishment Board in place. This interim CE will report to the board chair. The interim CE is responsible for guiding the new water organisation through its establishment and implementation phases leading up to the operational launch on 1 July 2026 and beyond. Its primary objective is to provide strategic leadership and oversee the establishment of the organisation including recruiting a leadership team who can build and develop the organisation to reach its full potential.
We are seeking expressions of interest from those who have significant experience leading an asset management, infrastructure or commercial organisation of scale. Appointees will demonstrate leadership in large-scale sector and/or organisation reform, change and establishment ideally within a highly political context with heavy stakeholder and public scrutiny and media attention. Not only does the appointee need to exhibit a high level of integrity, professionalism and experience, they will also need to be able to build the trust and confidence of councils, mana whenua partners and the wider community.
Our mana whenua partners have a deep interest in the wai (water) and all it encompasses. The appointee will need experience and understanding of te ao Māori and be responsive to the needs and aspirations of mana whenua in the region by integrating this into business strategies and plans.
This unique opportunity for an experienced and seasoned CE to lead the establishment of a water utility and design a future service delivery organisation that provides quality and compliant drinking, storm and wastewater is rare, challenging and highly rewarding.
For more information or to apply, please contact Alex Nevil at Hobson Leavy Executive Search: nevil@hobsonleavy.com.
Applications close at 5.00pm Friday 5th September 2025
