New Water Entity on the Horizon for the Greater Wellington Region

A New Zealand Herald report indicates hope may be on the horizon for the troubled Wellington water management scenario.

The report indicates the troubled Wellington Water will be replaced by a new stand-alone entity by July 2026. The Councils of the greater region it is planned to service, claim the new set-up will be lighter on ratepayers' pockets.

The final piece of the puzzle to drop into place was the agreement of Upper Hutt City Council, which finally came today, as it joined Porirua, Lower Hutt and Wellington City Councils, and Greater Wellington Regional Council, in supporting the "reset".

The new entity would own the water infrastructure that was currently owned by councils, according to the Herald's report, which means "it would be able to generate its own income, manage its own debt, and not be constrained by council funding".

It is claimed that the move will turn around "historical under-investment in water infrastructure".

However, says the Herald's report, it would "take time" and water bills would still increase under the new entity to meet the needs of the region's ageing network. It's claimed, however, that "high-level modelling" shows that any rise in water charges would be about 30% less than what households would face under the current model.

Let's see what transpires.