In an update to the Ahuriri Community Board, Mayor Gary Kircher said meetings between councils across the South were ongoing as they considered options to work together in light of the planned Water Services Delivery reform.
Waitaki has until September 2025 to formulate and provide the government with a plan.
All district councils are in the same position ahead of new legislation to plug the hole left after the previous government’s Three Waters plans were scrapped.
Deputy chairman Steve Dalley said it would be good to see a coalition drawing on neighbouring Mackenzie and Waimate.
Mr Kircher said there were "different views" on how that might work and at this stage nothing was set.
"The jury is out on what it’s going to end up looking like."
But a council controlled organisation (CCO) structure in partnership or partnerships with a group of southern councils was likely for one or more of the Three Waters.
The advantage would be in being able to share particular expertise and knowledge already held by particular council staff in individual organisations across the new CCOs.
"My preference is to work with other councils and share the skills we need."
Waitaki was already liaising with the three South Canterbury councils, and a group of at least three southern councils.
"One is more a coalition of the willing which won’t give us much critical mass — but more than we have at the moment," Mr Kircher said.
Selwyn District had initially "put out an olive branch" for a broader South Island entity but that had subsequently been withdrawn, given neighbouring Waimakariri and Christchurch were, like Selwyn, relatively well off for water services following the Canterbury earthquakes.
Ahuriri Community Board chair Callum Reid said the idea of remote decision-making impacting the delivery and cost of Waitaki’s Three Waters assets remained contentious.
"When you say further afield, when it was called Three Waters, the problem with that was we could be quite remote from decisions made."
He said Waitaki Valley already grappled with Environment Canterbury being "predominantly populated by Christchurch people" with a disconnect.
"Do you envisage similar issues?" Mr Reid said.
Mr Kircher said those quandaries needed to be clarified.
But even in a "coalition of the willing" similar issues would arise.
These would need to be planned for in any agreed CCO structure including a statement of intent.
Mr Kircher said the ability to collectively draw on Three Waters expertise from each council would not necessarily be about where they were based but about good decision-making and being strategic.
"There’s a bit more work, obviously."
Other isolated rural councils being picked up in a partnered southern entity was also possible.
Essentially Waitaki’s Water Services Delivery plan would have to show how it planned to deliver via an entity.
"It might be water and wastewater goes into one entity but stormwater in another."
