23 Jan 2024

Upper Hutt, Wellington mayors to meet with Simeon Brown over water woes

2:01 pm on 23 January 2024
Wayne Guppy and Simeon Brown.

Wayne Guppy and Simeon Brown. Photo: Supplied / Upper Hutt City Council / RNZ

Upper Hutt and Wellington's mayors will meet with Local Government Minister Simeon Brown regarding Wellington's water woes on Monday.

On Friday, Brown said he was disappointed in Wellington and Upper Hutt councils for failing to provide information on how they were dealing with water leakage and shortage issues in the capital.

He wrote to Wellington mayor Tory Whanau and Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy, after requesting information from the chairperson of the Wellington Water Committee on what actions shareholder councils were taking to reduce the possible water shortage.

Whanau and Guppy have since said there was confusion over the information they had to provide, and requested an urgent meeting with the minister.

They both said their councils would provide the information the minister was seeking.

Upper Hutt City Council chief executive Geoff Swainson told RNZ Guppy and himself will be meeting with Brown on Monday to discuss the matter further. Whanau also confirmed to RNZ she would meet with the minister on the same day.

It comes after the Wellington metropolitan region entered level two water restrictions last week.

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