1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,200 Speaker 1: So we had that big meeting in Wellington last night, 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 1: the town meeting over the sewage and the water business 3 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,960 Speaker 1: got quite heated at times. People willing to do you 4 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,959 Speaker 1: not want to hear about it, and we don't want 5 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: to do We want the true We have an independent 6 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: review coming apparently, does that give you confidence? Find out 7 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 1: what went wrong, spell out exactly what happens next. Andrew 8 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: Little is willing to meet with us live Andrew, Good morning, 9 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: Good morning. Right, So last night's meeting, fearso people were 10 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: pretty brassed off. 11 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, but I think that's pretty obvious, and I've been 12 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 2: picking that up as I've been out and about in 13 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,639 Speaker 2: the South Coast areas in the last week or so. 14 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 2: People justifiably angry. This is not something that would happen. 15 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 2: It's affecting businesses, households are suffering the odors that goes 16 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 2: with trying to get the plants sorted out, more sorts 17 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 2: of things. So, yeah, I think people are genuinely concerned 18 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 2: and wanted to hear some explanations, and. 19 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: In terms of the actual sewage, because we know when 20 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,279 Speaker 1: it rains it's coming out, how long before people can 21 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: go back to swimming in that area? 22 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think this is the question. So we've had 23 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 2: ever since the plant failed, all the seas around all 24 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 2: the bays have been monitored just to see what's happening 25 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 2: with the contamination. Has shown pretty stable that the low, 26 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 2: very low levels of contamination if been at all. Then 27 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 2: we had the storm coming through and that's changed it 28 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 2: all up a bit. So we'll see what the monitoring 29 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 2: shows of the next the ter thary days, and the 30 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 2: idea is the east we get to a point where 31 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 2: we can say, actually, you know what the risk is 32 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 2: X amount. It's actually pretty low and it could be 33 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 2: sad to go back to the beach and possibly into 34 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 2: the sea in certain places, but we want we just 35 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 2: want to get a good profile, get good data to 36 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 2: build up their picture, and then on a day to 37 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,399 Speaker 2: day basis, give people advice on what the risk factors 38 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 2: might be, what might be a good day to go 39 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 2: to the beach, what might not be. But we're a 40 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 2: few days away from that yet. 41 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: Okay, so we got you could be back swimming in 42 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: Weggs potentially. 43 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, if the if the monitoring shows they actually the 44 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 2: contamination of various beaches and the risk factors are simply 45 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 2: you're not going to add to it. Then it may 46 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 2: well be okay to. 47 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 1: Do that, all right, What about people actually not believing 48 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: what the Wellington Water is telling them and also the 49 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: testing that's been done. I've heard from people who live 50 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: there who say, actually, we don't trust we don't actually 51 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: believe them anymore. Is that a problem? 52 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, obviously there's a problem with people that don't 53 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 2: trust it, don't have any credibility. I mean, that's the 54 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:30,920 Speaker 2: reason why I wanted an independent review of everything that's happened. 55 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 2: Is executly that you can't have whether it's willing to 56 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 2: city Council or well Into Water or the older or 57 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 2: anybody else involved in the whole thing marking their own homework. 58 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 2: You've got to have somebody completely independent. So that's now 59 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 2: in the hands of the Minister that that will be 60 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 2: a review and it's up to the Minister to our 61 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 2: points and qualified expert independent people to tell A tell 62 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 2: us what went wrong, and then b tell us what 63 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 2: needs to happen to prevent this happening again. 64 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: But sorry, Andrew, not minister that, Mister Mayor. We've had 65 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: loads of people texting in this morning. Can we find 66 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: the hell out of this French company for operating it. 67 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: If it's found that they didn't keep up with the 68 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 1: maintenance and all the stuff that they should have been doing, 69 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: what do you do with them? 70 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think that's part of what the 71 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 2: river is to tell us about the causes. Because of 72 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 2: the causes and we know there'll be a mechanical something 73 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 2: that didn't work in the whole thing. Further than clepst 74 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 2: the systems cleft, the other thing is what was the 75 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 2: oversight and governance, Like did people get information, did people 76 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 2: know that there were problems and did they fail to 77 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 2: act on them? And that could be the oliot that 78 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 2: could be willing to water, It could be well into 79 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 2: city council. So they're all in the frame until we 80 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 2: kind of know what exactly has gone on. 81 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: All right, And as for the pet projects and that 82 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: you know your Wellington miles, your Golden miles and all 83 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: that stuff is your message to Wellington. All of that 84 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: stuff is on hold until we get our basics literally 85 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: what we do in the morning, first thing when we 86 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: wake up sorted out. 87 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. In fact, I've been saying that even before this 88 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 2: event happens, just because a bunch of other challenges refaced 89 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 2: with anywhere, But that's just adds to it. The priority 90 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 2: has got to be a functioning surge treatment plant, and frankly, 91 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 2: nothing else meant it until we got to sort it out. 92 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 2: And so we've got to get our priorities right. For 93 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 2: more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to 94 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 2: news Talks it'd be from five am weekdays, or follow 95 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio