Analysing Wellington Water and its council owners’ plan to provide sufficient water next summer

The main role of Taumata Arowai, as New Zealand’s water services regulator, is to ensure drinking water is safe and that enough of it is supplied to communities to maintain public health.

We’ve been working proactively with Wellington Water and its owner councils since they advised us last November about a potential water shortage this summer.

On 21 February 2024, we requested that Wellington Water and its council owners provide a plan outlining the short-term actions they will take to reduce the risk to public health from water shortage next summer.

We asked them to send their plan to us by 8 March 2024, because early and sustained action will be key to entering next summer with confidence.

Wellington Water and its owner councils requested an additional week to provide a collective response. As the councils and Wellington Water have worked constructively alongside us this summer, we were comfortable that an additional week to respond was a reasonable request.

We received their collective response to our letter on 15 March 2024. Our technical experts are analysing this response now.

We expect to have completed our analysis by Friday 22 March 2024, before determining what further engagement or actions may be necessary to ensure Wellington Water and its owner councils satisfy their obligation to supply sufficient water and limit the risk of people in Wellington, Hutt Valley and Porirua facing an acute water shortage next summer.

Read our 21 February 2024 letter

Read Wellington Water, and its council owners’, collective response to our letter