About TasWater
TasWater is Tasmania’s water and sewerage utility provider, responsible for supplying essential water and sewerage services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across the state. As a critical player in safeguarding public health and environmental sustainability, TasWater is jointly owned by Tasmania’s 29 local councils and the Tasmanian Government, demonstrating a strong, collaborative approach to essential service delivery. Having a workforce of approximately 920 staff, TasWater is committed to delivering safe, reliable, and sustainable services that support the health of communities and the environment.
We sat down with Liz Hafner, Acting Head of Communications and Engagement at TasWater, who is passionate about connecting with the Tasmanian community, and Emma Helks, TasWater’s Digital Marketing Manager, who leads the organisation’s online storytelling, updates, and campaigns. Together, they shared insights into TasWater’s 12-month journey since adopting Social Pinpoint.
From One-Way Communication to Meaningful Dialogue
TasWater recognised the limitations of traditional one-way communication and adopted Social Pinpoint to enable more inclusive, collaborative engagement with Tasmanians.
Before adopting Social Pinpoint, TasWater’s engagement relied heavily on one-way communication methods such as corporate website updates, postal notifications, and occasional community meetings to inform residents of projects. However, this approach limited opportunities for genuine consultation. Reflecting on the limitations of past engagement efforts, Liz stated:
“Our website is great for sharing information, but we just didn’t have an opportunity to collaborate,” Liz said. “We lacked the ability for our customers and the community to engage with us easily… it really was just one way communication.”
Following its 2023 rebrand and the introduction of a new customer blueprint, TasWater recognised the need for a refreshed approach to online community engagement. Seeking an intuitive online engagement platform that could support co-designed service delivery and community feedback, TasWater saw this as the ideal moment to procure a modern engagement solution—one that would enable meaningful dialogue not only with customers and account holders, but with all Tasmanians who rely on water services. That’s what drew TasWater to Social Pinpoint.
“One of the biggest barriers to any new tech or platform is always capacity,” Emma reflected. “What drew us to Social Pinpoint was how practical it is, and it doesn’t require a developer to set up every new page or every new tool. Our teams got up and running pretty fast, thanks to the hands-on onboarding and training that didn’t overwhelm anyone in the community engagement team. Our decision to engage with Social Pinpoint was made easy by a number of factors, including price, the support, the enablement, and the depth of what can be achieved through the platform.”
TasWater’s Digital Engagement Transformation
Since adopting Social Pinpoint for their online engagement platform in March 2024, TasWater has published 80 projects in just over 12 months.
In the first year of TasWater’s digital engagement platform ‘Water. It’s Tasmania’s Thing.‘, the site recorded over 92,000 page views, attracted more than 50,000 unique visitors, and engaged over 7,000 contributors—individuals who actively participated through surveys, comments, or other forms of direct interaction through the platform.
TasWater has also initiated 80 projects in one year, an impressive achievement that highlights the organisation’s strong commitment to engaging with the community. The engagement platform now showcases a wide range of active projects, where residents can remain informed and give feedback.
“One of the benefits is that our community members can choose to follow projects in their region, whether it’s on water or sewer, and through that they can actually receive regular updates around what’s happening, not just in their area, but also around the state,” Liz stated.
Some of these initiatives include TasWater’s fifth Price and Service Plan Proposal (PSP5), infrastructure project, and community-focused efforts such as asset painting programs. TasWater is delivering a massive $1.9 billion dollars Capital Works Program over the next 5 years, and these projects are being delivered all around the state.
TasWater’s PSP5 project is its largest community engagement initiative to date, gathering community feedback through onboarding surveys and providing updates at every stage of the process. Every four years, water corporations are required to submit a proposed Pricing and Service Plan to the economic regulator. This plan details TasWater’s intended investments and the pricing structure for its customers.
“In previous years and submissions, we really hadn’t involved the Tasmanian community,” Liz reflected. “So, we really didn’t understand what was important to them. This time around, we really wanted to listen to what Tasmanians wanted.”
For this initiative, TasWater reached over 200,000 people through advertising and involving more than 8,000 interactions with nearly 3,500 people in surveys, bill simulator surveys and conversations about the future of water and sewerage services in Tasmania.
TasWater has also established a strong digital presence, with nearly 31,000 followers across four social media platforms. The organisation launched its TikTok channel in January 2024, in order to help reach new audiences online. This expansion reflects TasWater’s commitment to digitally engaging with communities through relevant and timely content.
“Listening to our community is really important,” Emma explained. When we see similar questions begin to surface across social media, general inquiries, or project pages, the team uses these insights to build dedicated FAQ sections on the individual project pages. It’s been really beneficial to us. It’s really easy to keep it updated. We can then push that out through social media to drive people back to the platform to answer their questions.”
Evolved from a Utility Provider to a Proactive Community Partner
With major investments, community engagement tools, and a 50-year master plan in motion, TasWater is redefining its role in shaping Tasmania’s water and sewerage future.
Since its formation in 2013, TasWater has prioritised improvements in water quality and infrastructure, with a particular focus on regional and remote communities. However, the organisation is now shifting its strategic direction toward enhancing sewerge services and delivering stronger environmental outcomes—not only to meet regulatory requirements, but to support a more sustainable future for Tasmania.
As part of its strategic vision, TasWater is developing a series of Regional Master Plans that will guide the evolution of Tasmania’s water and sewage infrastructure over the next 50 years. These plans are designed to ensure the state’s networks are future-ready, resilient, and capable of supporting growing communities and improving environmental outcomes.
This forward-thinking approach reflects TasWater’s commitment to long-term sustainability and innovation, ensuring that Tasmania’s water infrastructure continues to meet the needs of future generations.
“We’ve really shifted from just sending a notification of works to celebrating our projects, sharing videos and stories, helping to drive trust within the Tasmanian community,” Liz highlighted. “Having a tool like Social Pinpoint has been invaluable for us, and the team now have the platform to support their work.”
Interested in learning more? Watch our webinar with TasWater as they reflect on their 12-month engagement journey here.
