Our History

During the Australian Millennium Drought, major water users came under intense scrutiny. Communities facing severe water shortages began calling for responsible water use in industry, agriculture, commerce, and recreation. Water users realised that they needed to demonstrate that their water consumption was not causing harm, and realised that they have a role to play in the equitable distribution of water resources.

It was during these lean and dry years that water stewardship was first conceived. In 2007, a group of diverse stakeholders came together to workshop what was known as the water stewardship concept. Water utilities, businesses, financial institutions, and communities agreed that there was a need for responsible water use with positive triple bottom line (social/cultural, environmental, economic) outcomes.

The workshop was a success, and water stewardship started to gain traction. Several prominent organisations began working together to form an international committee of experts responsible for building a new standard for water stewardship. As the water stewardship concept grew into a robust framework for action and verification, so did the need for leadership in the water stewardship system.

Water Stewardship Australia Ltd (trading as Water Stewardship Asia Pacific, WSAP) was incorporated in 2010 to lead water stewardship growth and uptake in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

WSAP is a not-for-profit membership organisation registered with the Australian Charity and Not-for-profit Commission, with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. WSAP is led by a Board of Directors elected by our members.

Board of Directors

Michele Akeroyd

Board Chair

Icon Water

Elizabeth Soal

Deputy Board Chair

EJS Consulting

Eva Abal

Board Member

International River Foundation

Phoebe Mack

Board Member

South East Water

Richard Savage

Board Member

Digital Water Solutions

Mohan Seneviratne

Board Member

MS Consulting

Martine Welfare

Board Member

NDIS

Mark Grant

Co-opted Board Member

Griffith University

Jackson Price

Co-opted Board Member

Grundfos Australia

Our Team

Sandra Hall

Chief Executive Officer

Megan McLeod

Program Director

Karen Delfau

GEDSI and
MERLA Advisor

Terra Yang

Communications and Administration Advisor

Constitution and Annual Reports

The governance of WSAP is set out by our Constitution.

WSAP Constitution

We report on our programs, projects and financial performance annually. Our reporting period is based on the Australian Financial Year, beginning 1 July and ending 30 June the following year.