Contractors dealing with the landslip at Point Howard in Lower Hutt which is thought to have been caused by a leaky pipe. Photo: RNZ
Wellington Water has again found itself in hot water after a landslip in Lower Hutt, likely caused by a leaky pipe which residents have complained about for months.
In the past two years, the capital's water service provider has contended with ageing infrastructure, broken pipes, even a fluoridation scandal.
In 2022, it was revealed thousands of residents had been drinking unfluoridated water for nearly a year, and the subsequent inquiry found plenty of cracks in the dam.
Among them, a culture which made it difficult to raise and address issues, and a lack of technical expertise on fluoride among board members.
Wellington Water is owned by six local councils: Wellington City, Hutt City, Upper Hutt City, South Wairarapa District, and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
They own the infrastructure, like pipes, drains and water treatment plants, they set the rates, and they allocate funding to the water entity.
Only last week, Wellington City Council voted to give Wellington Water only $2.3 million of the $10m it asked for in the annual plan.
One of the councillors in favour of fully funding the request, Diane Calvert, said the problem began with funding.
"It's our responsibility to make sure we fund them to do what we want them to do, and like any other provider hold them accountable."
Councils could not expect the service to be up to scratch if they were not providing the funding, Calvert said.
But many of her colleagues were sceptical of Wellington Water's ability to deliver $10m-worth of work.
The fluoride investigation uncovered a bitter consequence of this mindset, showing the trust issues went both ways.
The report reads: "Interviewees from across the organisation talked about a reactive culture and a learned helplessness, saying they gradually accepted that investments to address systemic issues would not be approved."
Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry said 230 kilometres of his city's pipe network needed replacing.
"We're in a position where you could throw your entire budget at water and renewals [of the pipe network] and it won't be enough," he said.
He said they were not the only city facing this problem, and it was a strong argument in favour of going ahead with the government's controversial Three Waters reform.
Porirua was in the same boat. Mayor Anita Baker said her council planned to fully meet Wellington Water's request of $3.5m, which was needed to continue providing the same level of service.
If they failed to fund Wellington Water this amount, she said, their service level would drop by 30 percent - that meant 30 percent fewer leaks checked and fixed.
"At the moment, we have hundreds of water leaks, and we're only getting a few done," she said. "If we decrease what we're paying them, then we get even less fixed, which is not the way we want to go."
With billions needed to see the pipe network through the next decade, a few million now was just a drop in the bucket.
