Source: Radio New Zealand
Signs on Wellington’s south coast about a wastewater spill from Moa Point. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Wellingtonians are divided over paying higher bills to improve the region’s water infrastructure, a new survey shows.
Tiaki Wai – which will own and manage the region’s water services from July – asked people if they agreed with paying more, if it delivered better water services for future generations.
IN March, Tiaki Wai said bills could reach more than $6800 a year by 2036. [. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/590521/wellingtonians-face-average-2400-water-bill-next-year-massive-increases-to-follow Indicative charges for this coming financial year] are a 14.7 per cent increase – an extra $310 per year – followed by a 28 per cent increase in 2027/28
Results of the survey showed 44 percent of people definitely or somewhat agreed that investment was important, even if it meant paying more, while 43.6 percent definitely or somewhat disagreed with higher bills, while 12.5 percent were neutral.
Almost half of the respondents – 49.4 percent – agreed with paying more, if it reduced contamination of waterways, with 36.7 percent disagreeing and 13.8 percent neutral.
Safe and high quality drinking water was the most important priority for residents – 64.4 percent cared about that the most – followed by clear, consistent billing (55.9 percent) and infrastructure maintenance, including preventing leaks (54.8 percent).
More than 1150 people from Wellington city, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua completed the survey.
Tiaki Wai Board chair Will Peet said the survey results showed Wellingtonians had “pretty strong views on water”, with a tension between wanting better infrastructure and concern about affordability during a cost-of-living crisis.
“Most people know that there’s a lot to be done, but there’s a real feeling about who should pay for it and people going, ‘Well, I’ve been paying all this money in rates, how do we pay for it?’
“From our perspective, we are where we are, and we now need to get on and build that confidence of the people who don’t think we should be spending more money, and can see that they’re getting value from it.”
Tiaki Wai faces scrutiny from the Commerce Commission over its proposed bills, with chair John Small telling RNZ it was “looking closely” at Tiaki Wai’s model.
Peet said the organisation was reviewing the initial charges it proposed in its draft water strategy, although he wouldn’t confirm whether those would come down.
He said the Commerce Commission had indicated it would begin a consultation on Tiaki Wai’s charges soon.
The board was also considering “bluntly how much work we can do and get good value for money for”.
He said the next water services strategy next year would be interesting, because it would show what people cared about the most.
“I think it will be really interesting listening to people and see what are the priorities. Do you want to have more days swimming in he sea or do you want to have fewer leaks?
“The question is which one do people want us to prioritise more?”
He said the survey showed the Moa Point failure had raised the concern of the environmental impact of sewage discharges.
Tiaki Wai will inherit the five Wellington region councils’ water assets from 1 July and Peet said fixing Moa Point was critical.
“Getting Moa Point back operating to where it should be is a really high priority, but we’ve also got two other wastewater treatment plants – both the seaview plant in Lower Hutt and the west plant in the back of Karori – and both of those have compliance issues,” he said.
“I wouldn’t want to say [Moa Point] is the highest and only priority, because throughout the network, there is lots to be done.”
The board will consider the feedback on its draft strategy and will release confirmed water charges for this coming financial year before 30 June.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand