Join our deliberative forum

You're invited to register your interest in joining our Price Submission Deliberative Forum. This is a unique opportunity to help shape our services and pricing for 2026 and beyond.

We're looking for residents and business owners from across our service region to be part of this important process.

Those participating will gain valuable insights into our operations and help ensure that our prices remain fair and our services meet the needs of the community.


Details

The forum will meet five times between January and March 2025. Most meetings will be held on Saturdays between 9am and 5pm, with a 3-hour orientation session beforehand. The sessions will be a mix of in-person and online.

As this is a collaborative process, full attendance at all sessions is required.

To thank you for your time and commitment, you’ll receive an honorarium of $170 per full-day session and $85 for the orientation session, payable in mid-March 2025.


Questions & Answers

The Deliberative Forum is a diverse group of our customers who come together to learn about key issues, share ideas and offer recommendations. It represents a range of perspectives from across North East Water’s customer base and provides a platform for everyday citizens to contribute to decisions on complex matters.

The forum will review feedback from earlier community engagement activities, discuss different services and investments, and weigh up trade-offs. Your recommendations will influence the services we offer and the prices we set. While North East Water will consider all forum recommendations, we’ll explain any decisions not to adopt them. Our final price submission will be reviewed by the Essential Services Commission (ESC).

A random sample from those who express interest will form a forum of about 45 people, reflecting the diversity of our community. An independent company, Insync, will oversee this process to ensure a fair and representative selection. Not everyone who registers will be selected for the final forum.

No special skills or knowledge are required—just your opinions and willingness to contribute. Skilled facilitators will guide the sessions to ensure everyone has a voice, regardless of your level of experience with North East Water.

If you're a North East Water customer aged 18 or over, you can register to receive the Expression of Interest (EOI) form via this short survey. In early November 2024, those who register will receive the EOI. We’ll also send it to approximately 10,000 other customers across our region.

We want to make sure everyone can fully participate. If you require support, such as an interpreter, travel assistance, or hearing or sight aids, let us know when completing the EOI form. If selected, we’ll follow up with you to make necessary arrangements.

Forum dates

Wednesday 29 January 2025 06:00 pm

Orientation session

In person

Saturday 1 February 2025 09:00 am

Forum session 1

In person

Saturday 15 February 2025 09:00 am

Forum session 2

Online

Saturday 1 March 2025 09:00 am

Forum session 3

Online

Saturday 15 March 2025 09:00 am

Forum session 4

In person