Welcome to the Marlborough Sounds and to The Waikawa Ratepayers & Residents Association Incorporated website.

The Association was incorporated on 25 March 1976.

The Association represents ratepayers and residents within the Waikawa area – a gateway to the incredible Marlborough Sounds. Our mandate is to represent and address the issues and concerns of all Waikawa ratepayers and residents. It has been very successful in developing, co-ordinating, and improving the fantastic amenities and facilities within the Waikawa area for the benefit of all future generations. This fits with our vision to ‘leave Waikawa in a better place than we found it’.

Members of the Association are ‘custodians’ for operating the Waikawa Bay launching ramp, with funds raised being used to support local community initiatives and projects. Our history shows we took on the custodianship in the late 1990s from the Waikawa Boating Club, when they made the decision to relocate to the Waikawa Marina. We appreciate the efforts of those early members who spent many hours maintaining and developing this facility to what we see today.

For some 800 years Māori have occupied Queen Charlotte Sound (Tōtaranui) and Waikawa is home to the local iwi, Te Ātiawa O Te Waka-A-Māui who have kaitiaki status and act as guardian of the natural resources within the Sounds. The iwi settled with the Crown in 2014 and are active in local fishing, aquaculture, property management and forestry, in addition to having numerous overseas business interests.

The Association acknowledges and sincerely thanks the Marlborough District Council who support us in maintaining the facilities we have in the bay. We also thank and appreciate the ongoing support from the many local businesses who willingly offer their services, expertise and advice.