Today representatives of the shareholding councils of Wellington Water Limited (WWL), along with iwi leaders, met to discuss the implications of WWL efficiency and value for money reports for water reform.

All members of the Wellington Water Committee agree that it is utterly unacceptable that the operations and maintenance costs incurred by Wellington Water do not represent good value for ratepayer money. Members unreservedly apologise to the people of the Wellington region for the high costs identified and the failure to provide oversight on appropriate practices and organisational culture to ensure competitively priced services.

"The impact on our communities is simply intolerable and it cannot continue," said Councillor Ros Connelly, Acting Chair of the Wellington Water Committee. "We will be urgently convening a meeting of the WWL Committee where the reports, implications and response can be confirmed, and we will ensure clear accountability going forward."

All those in attendance reconfirmed a commitment to the need for water reform and for Wellington Water Limited to develop a robust transition plan so that a new entity can start off on the right footing.

"As part of the transition planning, further work will be done to test the cost assumptions being used to inform planning for the new water organisation. These assumptions must be robust and reliable in preparation for our water services delivery plan being submitted by 3 September 2025," Connelly said.

The Extraordinary Wellington Water Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday at 3pm.

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