Adaptation to the extreme climate and weather events experienced in Australia and New Zealand has already cost the urban water industry millions of dollars. To address the changing climate effectively, it is essential that the water industry build climate resilience into their long term planning and decision-making processes. Seventeen Australian urban water utilities through the Water Services Association of Australia collaborated to produce the first National Climate Change Adaptation Guidelines for the water industry. Integrating climate change decision-making, particularly in terms of vulnerability and risk assessment and adaptation planning, into ‘business as usual’ processes is a key premise underpinning the guidelines. The guidelines outline a transformative decision making process structured around a central climate change adaptation decision framework. They draw upon the extensive experience of the water industry, identify current best practice and provide clear principles to guide the industry toward an organised, pragmatic and defensible approach to adaptation. The guidelines are designed to assist water utilities with all stages of the adaptation process, from initial appreciation of the issues, through to the implementation and monitoring of response actions. Importantly, they also consider inter-dependencies with other utility sectors, such as energy and telecommunications providers. While these guidelines do not attempt to analyse the science, they do recognise that the impact of climate change may vary significantly from region to region across Australia and New Zealand.