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NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Watercare spends $11m on consultants for delayed Huia treatment plant project
Since 2018, Watercare has spent $22.6m on the Huia plant replacement projects, according to figures released to the Herald under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act. Of the total figure, $8.5m related to property purchases, which Watercare said are likely to be sold once the project is finished, and $7.7m was spent on obtaining resource consent, which encountered environmental issues and appeals. Engineering consultants Aurecon were the highest paid of the 57 vendors at $2.4m, followed by law firm Simpson Grierson ($1.7m), engineering consultants Tonkin & Taylor ($1.4m), and landscape architect Boffa Miskell ($1.3m). Most vendors were paid tens of thousands of dollars or less. The cheapest vendor was Print Consultants ($220). In a statement, Watercare said that since the project was granted resource consent in late 2023, there was more certainty about what was required, and other projects had been grouped with the plant for a total cost of $1.1b. Figures showed the 2018 cost of $420m had changed in scope and cost to about $980m in 2025, and the remainder of the $1.1b was new projects. A confidential business update to the board in April this year said some of the water projects were 'extremely complex' and 'associated works are significantly behind historic schedule'. The statement reiterated the earlier view of Watercare chief executive Dave Chambers that the $1.1b cost of the project was realistic and represented good value for Aucklanders. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is also relaxed about the project cost, telling the Herald in March that improvements had been planned for several years and the overall project would build water supply resilience across the north and west network. 'I expect Watercare has carefully considered its projects and will work to ensure the investment provides good value for what they're spending. We have seen in Wellington what happens when there is under-investment in water infrastructure. We don't want to see that happen in Auckland,' he said. The billion-dollar project has also come to the attention of the Commerce Commission, which has been appointed by the Government to monitor Watercare's finances and other performance measures under a charter until 2028. Commission chairman Dr John Small said Aucklanders could expect greater transparency and accountability from Watercare, including quarterly reports on capital projects. 'We expect this to include the programme of work for the Huia water treatment plant.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Taste of Montclair to go forward, days after neighborhood shooting
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — Less than a week after a man was shot during an armed robbery in the Oakland Hills, the neighborhood's annual 'Taste of Montclair Village' event is set to go on this week as planned. Event organizers hope that a quick arrest in the case will help ease safety concerns. Small bites and cocktails like farmstead cheeses and wines from local providers are expected to attract hundreds of visitors to Montclair Village in Oakland Tuesday. 'We're halfway up the hill — we're not in the main drag. And, these kinds of events help people come up,' said Dave Chambers, who owns Farmstead, one of more than two dozen local businesses taking part. San Francisco announces five finalist names for new Great Highway park Taste of Montclair Village is an annual event that allows patrons who purchase a taste passport to sample food and drinks in the neighborhood. The proceeds help fund the Montclair Village Association's initiatives. The security plan for the event includes, 'safety ambassadors, private security and camera systems that assist with keeping the neighborhood safe,' said Daniel Swafford, executive director of the Montclair Village Association. Swafford said footage from surveillance cameras set up in the area paid for by past events helped track down the teenage suspect accused of shooting a man last Wednesday during an armed robbery nearby on Cortereal Avenue. The suspect was arrested the same day and Oakland police recovered guns from the boy. The wounded victim was hospitalized. 'So, it's an example of really how our proceeds from our fundraising events through the Montclair Cares Club can really affect positive change and try to hold people accountable if they're up to no good in our city,' Swafford said. People who work in the area just advise to pack lightly. 'I just keep a little bit of money in my pocket — not much,' advised Mahi, a local clerk who works in the area said. Taste of Montclair Village gets underway Tuesday at 4 p.m. and runs through 8 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
