Latest news with #WellingtonWater
Scoop
6 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Porirua Backs Regional Approach To Water Services Delivery
Porirua City Council's Te Puna Kōrero committee has endorsed a joint regional approach for water services delivery. As part of the Local Water Done Well reform, the Government has mandated that councils must review how water services are delivered. Te Puna Kōrero met this morning to deliberate and made a recommendation to Council, after consulting on two options for a future water services delivery model - a new water services organisation, or a modified version of the status quo. They voted unanimously to recommend that Council should jointly establish and co-own a new water organisation with Upper Hutt City Council, Hutt City Council, Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council. Under this model, a multi-council-owned water organisation will take ownership of public water assets. The alternative was a modified version of the current Wellington Water model, where councils retain ownership while Wellington Water manages water services. That recommendation will need to be endorsed at the full Council meeting on 26 June. All five councils are independently making decisions by the end of June on how to proceed. Officers will then develop a joint Water Services Delivery Plan and foundation documents for the new organisation, which must be lodged with the Department of Internal Affairs by 3 September 2025. The intention is that Council will transfer its assets, debt, liabilities and services in relation to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater to the new organisation by1 July 2026. In making today's decision, the committee unanimously supported an amendment from Councillor Geoff Hayward, setting out the principles Porirua City wants reflected in the new organisation's foundation documents. These include recognising water as a public good, safeguarding households from disconnection, value for money, fair pricing, supporting local employment, and upholding Te Mana o te Wai. Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said like many parts of the country, Porirua's water networks faced significant challenges. "We have old pipes that cause water leaks, contribute to water shortages and are a main contributor to pollution in the harbour. "While we've poured all the money we can into funding water assets, we simply can't address these challenges on our own. Doing nothing is not an option, and we believe the new model is the best way forward for Porirua."
Scoop
03-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
South Wairarapa Plans To Spend Almost $30m On Water Infrastructure
South Wairarapa District Council is set to spend almost $30 million on capital water infrastructure projects in the next two years, with all to be delivered in-house until a new water services entity is established. Significant projects on the horizon for the council included upgrades to wastewater treatment plants in Greytown, Martinborough, and Featherston, pipe renewals, and capacity upgrades to enable growth. The council's Management Services Agreement with Wellington Water Limited was set to expire on June 30 but the council has voted to keep operational expenditure with the water management entity for another year and do its capital expenditure programme in-house. This vote was done in public exclusion and the report has recently been released. The report said the council would need to build a team to deliver South Wairarapa's full capital expenditure programme for at least the next two years, however, the proposed Wairarapa-Tararua entity could start as early as July 1, 2026. Over the first two years of the council's 2025-34 Long-Term Plan, its capital investment programme totalled $10.85m and $18.31m respectively, the report said. 'The expected benefits of us managing capital expenditure in-house are anticipated to be more cost control, cost efficiency, on-time delivery, local contractor delivery, and optimisation of the programme leading into the new entity in which our forward investment programme will be a factor for negotiations,' the report to council said. 'The risks are that there might be some delay while we source resourcing, and this may impact on relationships with the community and the regulator, but this should be able to be managed with proactive and comprehensive communications.' The report said the relationship between the council and Wellington Water had been 'fraught' and councillors had voted in public-exclusion in December to exit the relationship with Wellington Water on June 30, 2025. Councillors had instructed staff to explore options for interim arrangements, citing dissatisfaction with Wellington Water's performance. The report said the Local Water Done Well process had provided 'additional impetus to consider an early exit from Wellington Water by SWDC'. 'Earlier exit carries the potential for upside in terms of both improved levels of service in the short to medium term, and for being better prepared for the transition into the new entity, if well executed,' the report said. 'There are also risks to an earlier exit including being able to procure sufficient resources to replace Wellington Water and the distraction from the Local Water Done Well transition work that managing an early transition could cause.' In January, council chief executive Janice Smith and Deputy Mayor and Wellington Water Committee representative Melissa Sadler-Futter met with Wellington Water Board chair Nick Leggett and chief executive Pat Dougherty and gave them informal notice that the council intended to exit the relationship on June 30 but that this could be extended 'depending on practicality'. The report said council staff then requested information to assist with this transition but Wellington Water staff had been 'disappointingly' slow to respond, 'in part because our requests distract Wellington Water resources from other matters such as planning for the new Wellington Regional entity'. Initially, council staff were asked to look at a full-service external provider option taking both operational and capital expenditure away from Wellington Water but councillors voted at the end of April to take back capital projects only. At a Wellington Water Committee meeting on Friday, Dougherty said Wellington Water was working to transfer all capital projects back to the council by July 1 and was 'starting to get systems in place to look at how we transfer responsibilities for operations and maintenance by July 1, 2026'.
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Wellington Water warns Seaview stench could return during critical sewage treatment works
Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant. Photo: Supplied / Wellington Water Wellington Water is warning of the potential for increased odour at its Seaview sewage treatment plant due to critical works. The facility has been notorious in the local community for causing a smell which some described as being so bad it made them dry retch. The problem stemmed from the treatment plant's sludge dryer which removed water from the solid material left over in treated sewage before it was disposed. The dryer was near the end of its working life and required constant maintenance before it was replaced. Part of that work would start next week between 3 June and 17 June and would require the dryer to be shut down which could cause a stench. Wellington Water chief operating officer Charles Barker said that it was due to wet sludge being transported out of the facility and to a landfill rather than a dry material. "It is stickier more odorous stuff." Barker said the maintenance was to ensure the dryer remained operational while work was underway to get a new dryer in operation by the end of 2027. He said he expected the plant's smell not to be "that bad" and nothing like what was experienced by the community during summer. Local resident Chris Hetherington told RNZ the site was "just disgusting" at its worst. Hetherington said he had no problem with the plant it just had to operate within its consent. He said it was good that Wellington Water had told the community that if the smell got too bad it would bring the dryer back online. "Now the community is at the forefront of their decisions, so I do believe there has been a massive change." Barker acknowledged the community experienced an extended period of intense odour last summer and that it was right for them to be anxious about dryer work. In March RNZ reported that in December Wellington Water attempted to reprimand Seaview's operator - the Veolia multinational over the stench. Chief executive Pat Dougherty wrote to Veolia country director Emma Brand on 4 December, saying: "Wellington Water has not historically sought a financial penalty. "That historical practise will no longer be followed." The breaches at Seaview and several other plants were "significant and repeated", and every breach "amounts to a potential criminal offence", Dougherty said in the letter released to RNZ under the Official Information Act. "Contract penalty payments are likely to be enforced by Wellington Water in the future." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
29-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Wellington Water warns Seaview strench could return during critical sewage treatment works
Seaview Wastewater Treatment Plant. Photo: Supplied / Wellington Water Wellington Water is warning of the potential for increased odour at its Seaview sewage treatment plant due to critical works. The facility has been notorious in the local community for causing smell which some described as being so bad it made them dry retch. The problem stemmed from the treatment plant's sludge dryer which removed water from the solid material left over in treated sewage before it was disposed. The dryer was near the end of its working life and required constant maintenance before it was replaced. Part of that work would start next week between 3 June and 17 June and would require the dryer to be shut down which could cause a stench. Wellington Water chief operating officer Charles Barker said that it was due to wet sludge being transported out of the facility and to a landfill rather than a dry material. "It is stickier more odorous stuff." Barker said the maintenance was to ensure the dryer remained operational while work was underway to get a new dryer in operation by the end of 2027. He said he expected the plant's smell not to be "that bad" and nothing like what was experienced by the community during summer. Local resident Chris Hetherington told RNZ the site was "just disgusting" at its worst. Hetherington said he had no problem with the plant it just had to operate within its consent. He said it was good that Wellington Water had told the community that if the smell got too bad it would bring the dryer back online. "Now the community is at the forefront of their decisions, so I do believe there has been a massive change." Barker acknowledged the community experienced an extended period of intense odour last summer and that it was right for them to be anxious about dryer work. In March RNZ reported that in December Wellington Water attempted to reprimand Seaview's operator - the Veolia multinational over the stench. Chief executive Pat Dougherty wrote to Veolia country director Emma Brand on 4 December, saying: "Wellington Water has not historically sought a financial penalty. "That historical practise will no longer be followed." The breaches at Seaview and several other plants were "significant and repeated", and every breach "amounts to a potential criminal offence", Dougherty said in the letter released to RNZ under the Official Information Act. "Contract penalty payments are likely to be enforced by Wellington Water in the future." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
09-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Wellingtonians warned of heavy weekend traffic
Winter sport and roadworks are causing lengthy delays. Photo: 123RF Wellingtonians are being warned weekend traffic will continue to be heavy as winter sport and roadworks cause lengthy delays. Traffic through the central city and along Oriental Parade was moving at snail's pace last Saturday. It was the first time in days the capital had seen the sun after being battered by wild weather . "I think everyone agrees the traffic through the central city on Saturday was bad," Wellington City Council spokesperson Richard MacLean said. Sports games and works on Wakefield Street, where Wellington Water is building new wastewater pipes, were likely to blame - and the Hurricanes match at Sky Stadium may have added to early evening traffic, he said. The Wakefield Street works are part of renewing and upgrading the city's wastewater network, and are expected to be completed in August. A Wellington Water spokesperson said in the next two weeks it planned to open more lanes in Wakefield Street, as well as the slip lane from Oriental Parade. Part of the road near Tory Street would be fully opened on Saturday if conditions allowed. "As the works are on one of the busiest roads in Wellington CBD, we know this has been disruptive and frustrating to road users, businesses and residents in the area. Our contractors are working as quickly as possible to progress the works and making every effort to minimise disruptions." In the meantime, MacLean said people should expect delays and plan ahead. "We strongly advise motorists to start their trips earlier if they're heading across town (especially to the airport) during the middle of the day - and try to avoid Evans Bay Parade and Oriental Parade if they're heading into town from the eastern suburbs." "Team members / parents could think about doing more car sharing to reduce the overall traffic volumes and the fight for parking at the sports venues." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
