Hon Anne Tolley
Minister of Local Government
Hon Nathan Guy
Minister of Civil Defence
27 June 2017
Budget 2017: $6m for Wellington regional emergency water supplies
Local Government Minister Anne Tolley and Civil Defence Minister Nathan Guy today announced Budget 2017 provides $6
million to part fund emergency water supplies in the Wellington region.
“The Government is committed to improving New Zealand’s resilience to natural hazards,” says Mrs Tolley.
“We’ve worked closely with the Mayors of Wellington, Porirua, Upper and Lower Hutt, as well as the Greater Wellington
Regional Council, to develop a plan to improve the region’s water resilience.
“Wellington and Porirua are unique as our only cities without their own local water supplies. Budget 2017 invests $6
million to part fund 22 new community water stations throughout the four cities.
“The region’s councils will contribute $6 million to the project, and they will be responsible for setting up and
maintaining the emergency water supplies.”
“Access to safe, healthy water is vital after a major disaster. Parts of the Wellington Region could be without tap
water for up to 100 days following a major earthquake as a result of damage to the water supply network and potential
access difficulties” says Mr Guy.
“Likely damage to roads, rail and the port would make it difficult to bring in sufficient quantities of emergency water
to meet the needs of the population.
“This new work programme will ensure that temporary water supplies are available until the bulk supply is restored.
“A total of 22 new local bore and stream-fed emergency water hubs will be established.
“Drilling at three bore sites has already been completed, two of which are suitable as emergency supplies. Work is due
to start at further sites in Porirua and Wellington shortly.
“In total 11 bores are planned that will supplement existing reservoir storage. More than 300 water bladders will also
be purchased for storage and supply and supply at water stations that can be set up within communities as needed.
“At the same time, Wellingtonians should be prepared and have water stored at home. We normally use over 200 litres a
day each, so the more you store, the better.”
ends