The Te Mato Vai water project to improve Rarotonga's water infrastructure will be officially launched today.
The system, which includes UV treatment, improved storage capacity and new ring mains which will connect to all residential and commercial properties, is receiving funding assistance from New Zealand and China.
The project has had some criticism for being too expensive and not well thought out.
But the Finance Secretary and project supervisor, Richard Neves, says the current system has a 70 percent leakage rate and water is constantly wasted.
He says the consultation process has been robust and is continuing.
"It's been a very intense period of consultation and I think it has been a very robust and reasonable one that has involved a lot of the community. We recognise that you're going to have a certain level of fear or mistrust about these things, but governments can spend money on a lot of things. The provision of water to people I don't think is such a bad thing."
The Cook Islands Finance Secretary Richard Neves.