Greater Wellington is the promotional name of the Wellington Regional Council
News release
18 March 2005
New water deal a win-win says Greater Wellington
Greater Wellington Regional Council will now work with Masterton District Council to manage Masterton’s water supply.
Following the finalising of a management agreement with Masterton District Council last month, Greater Wellington is set
to oversee the operation and maintenance of Masterton’s Kaituna water treatment plant, and the supply pipeline to the
Upper Plains reservoir.
David Benham, Greater Wellington’s Utility Services Division manager, said the benefits of this agreement would reach
beyond Masterton.
“As water supplier to Wellington’s four city councils, we already have substantial expertise in quality management,
which Masterton is set to gain from. The management fee will help us to maintain that expertise while holding down costs
for the cities.”
The Masterton District Council approached Greater Wellington about a management arrangement following their involvement
in tackling Masterton’s cryptosporidium outbreak in 2003. Mr Benham said that increasing quality and risk management
expectations made it hard for smaller water suppliers to continue to go it alone.
“Water quality standards are changing quite rapidly. The time and expertise needed to adapt to that change inevitably
bring extra costs, which must be met by water users. We are one of the country’s larger water suppliers so the impact on
our consumers is relatively small, but there must be quite a few councils wondering how to keep up at an acceptable cost
to their ratepayers.”
Rex Kirton, Chair - Greater Wellington’s Utility Services Committee said providing water treatment plant management
services to Masterton was a good fit with Greater Wellington’s core objectives.
“We are committed to making the region an even better place to live. A high quality water supply is vital to the health
and prosperity of our communities so we’re pleased to be able to help Masterton to continue moving forward.”
The management agreement with Masterton District Council was signed in February and is now in the process of being
implemented.
ENDS
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