At North East Water our customers and community are at the heart of everything we do. We know that involving our community in our decision making leads to better outcomes.
While the provision of water and wastewater services is at our core, we know communities are wanting more sustainable water management, efficient use of resources, technologies that make life easier for them, transparency in operations and actions to address climate change and impacts on their water supply.
Our ongoing community engagement and customer insights work provides us an in-depth understanding of the values and expectations of our customers.
Customers participating in our Price Submission Deliberative Forum in 2025
Community Engagement
We value community consultation and inclusivity to inform our project decision-making. North East Water defines community engagement as a planned process with the specific purpose of working with customers, community and key stakeholders to encourage active involvement in decisions that affect them or are of interest to them.
Our engagement team is International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) certified, recognising knowledge and skills promoting responsible, inclusive engagement practices, ethical principles and values. We use the IAP2 “Spectrum of Participation” and adhere to the IAP2 core values that help facilitate better decisions that reflect customer and stakeholder concerns and interests.
For more information on our current, past and active projects seeking feedback visit our online engagement platform www.haveyoursay.newater.com.au
Customer and Community Advisory Group
This group is made up of community representatives selected with a goal of reflecting our region's diverse communitycustomers.
The purpose of the group is to:
- provide advice, insights and feedback in relation to customer, environmental and sustainability issues for North East Water
- provide early input into North East Water’s price submission, strategy, policy, projects and initiatives which have a customer and/or environmental impact or opportunity
- facilitate two-way feedback on issues and matters raised with or on behalf of their members and the broader community
- build trust with North East Water’s communities.
More information on the Customer and Community Advisory Group can be found here.
Customer Research
Our research program involves multiple points where we survey our customers to inform our six-monthly and yearly report cards. We survey approximately 2000 people a year, including customers who have had a recent interaction with North East Water and randomly chosen customers in towns serviced by North East Water. This feedback helps us continually improve our services and the way we communicate with our customers.
Learn more about our customer research program here.
Inclusivity
We value community consultation and inclusivity to inform our project decision-making. Some of the ways we ensure that our community engagement is inclusive are:
- We collaborate with customers and community service leaders to understand the challenges faced by people experiencing economic or social vulnerability
- We have ensured our engagement activities are accessible both in person and online to remove barriers for people living with all-abilities-accessible
- We provide online engagement materials that follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and are available in the region’s 10 most commonly spoken languages
- We specifically engage Traditional Owners and First Nations communities, and we are committed to reconciliation and fostering strong partnerships
- We host biannual developer forums that provide valuable insight into the complex challenges facing our developer community.