How long has the 'Drinking Water in Schools Programme' existed for, which was mentioned in the press release from the Minister on 8 June?

Answer

The Ministry of Education established the Water Services Investment Programme in mid-2022 to address school infrastructure related to three waters; drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater. This was in addition to support schools receive through capital maintenance funding. The program was refreshed and became the Safer Drinking Water in Schools programme in July 2025. The Ministry prioritised safer drinking water, rather than addressing wastewater and stormwater concerns at the same time. Schools are supported to manage their wastewater and stormwater services by Ministry staff outside of the programme using baseline funding (including their 5-Year Agreement funding). Since 2022, $18.65m of baseline funding has been allocated to water services programmes. This is also my response to written parliamentary question 28230 (2026).