Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Local Government Minister says he has "serious concerns" about Wellington and Upper Hutt councils ability to manage water shortage and leakage issues.
Much of the Wellington region moved to level 2 water restrictions on 17 January.
Wellington Water said the decision was made due to very high demand putting pressure on the drinking water supply.
Brown told Morning Report he wrote to the Wellington Water Committee late last year asking for updates on what they were doing to address the water challenges.
His questions included what councils were doing to actively consider how to fix leakage issues, increasing supply, and how the short and medium term activity would be funded.
He received advice from the chair Campbell Barry last week but it did not include input from Wellington City Council or Upper Hutt City Council.
"It's very clear that there are significant problems in terms of water delivery in those two councils ... and I want to know exactly what those two councils are doing to resolve this issue."
Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy and Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said there was confusion around the additional information the minister required and their councils were working to get that to him.
The water services regulator, Taumata Arowai, has said it will step in if the capital runs short of water for drinking and sanitary needs while water restrictions are in place.
Brown said he was in communication with the regulator about preparations for that possibility.
When asked whether he felt the councils were doing enough, Brown said, "I have serious concerns and I want to understand what they are doing to address that".
The minister said councils were responsible for water investment and he wanted to know whether the water rates they have been raising from ratepayers have been going directly back into water infrastructure.
Brown said he would be implementing the Local Water Done Well policy this year which was about working with councils and giving them "greater tools and opportunities to have ring-fenced, sufficient, water-service delivery funding and financing".
But councils would also have to provide their own plans to government, once the legislation was in place, he said.
