1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:02,040 Speaker 1: Togeather do for Selos Well. 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 2: It's now been revealed there have been warnings for years 3 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 2: about that wastewater plant pumping sewage into the ocean in Wellington. 4 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 2: It has been non compliant every month except for two 5 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 2: months for the last two years. Nick Leggett is Wellington 6 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 2: Water's chair and he's with us now high Nick hi Heather, 7 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 2: how was it non compliant? 8 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: Well? There are the problem with all the wastewater treatment 9 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: plants in the Wellington region. They have not had the 10 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: investment over many many years needed to keep them up 11 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: keep the equipment in the plant up to scratch, and 12 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 1: as a result they don't meet in all cases, in 13 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: some very few cases and with some plants they don't 14 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: meet the standards required. And that's been pretty evident with 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 1: the reporting that's public that Wellington Water does on behalf 16 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: of the council owners and of course either it points 17 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: to the fact that we've got a broken system where 18 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: it comes to water delivery in New Zealand, and that's 19 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: why we're headed to reform now. 20 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 2: Look, I know, given that we haven't completed and we 21 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 2: don't really know what's gone wrong here, this week to 22 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 2: be hard for us to understand whether the red flags 23 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,839 Speaker 2: and the two years leading up to now relate somehow 24 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 2: to what has gone on here. But is it a possibility, Well, I. 25 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: Think it's a possibility. I mean a lot of plants 26 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: are old, their designs are not what you design these days, 27 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: and you know there's going to have to be significant 28 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: money spent on them. And the councils of the region 29 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: know that well into Water has signaled that the councils 30 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: have agreed over the last year or two to divert 31 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: more money into these plants because unfortunately, they all carry 32 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: risks and this risk has become a reality, and that 33 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: is you know, it's not acceptable for Wellingtonian's authored the 34 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: surrounding coastal environment. This is not the country that we 35 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: want to live in where wastewater is pumping us into 36 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: the environment. 37 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 2: Have you thought about dumping Veolia? Who are the ones 38 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 2: running this wastewater plant at any point leading up. 39 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: To now, We've also been public about the challenges in 40 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: that relationship with Violia. But because we've got water reform coming, 41 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 1: so people will know and many will be pleased to 42 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: know that Wellington Water will be no more come age year. 43 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: There's going to be a new organization called Tiaki Wire 44 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: that will not only service and run the assets, it 45 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 1: will own the assets and it will build customers directly. 46 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: Now what Wellington Water has been publicly disemboweling itself for 47 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: the last year and improving the value for money that 48 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: we give to Wellingtonians by making some of the contract 49 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: and commercial relationships more competitive, we'll be getting things sorted 50 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: to this new organization. I mean to give you an example. 51 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,679 Speaker 1: Wellington Water employees five hundred people and spends half a 52 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: billion dollars a year on providing water services. It doesn't 53 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: have its own payroll system, its own finance system. It's 54 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: never had that investment. And so what we've had to 55 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: do is triage what we fix and what we improve 56 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: and actually changing the Volia relationship. Changing that horse. When 57 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: we're about to go into you have this massive reform, 58 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: it just isn't a sensible thing to do. And so 59 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: instead Wells and Water has chosen to manage that relationship 60 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: to get more out of it and to improve the problem. 61 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 2: A little short on time here, Nick, but just quickly, 62 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 2: if it is found that the Olia could have avoided 63 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 2: what has happened this week, will they get pained for it? 64 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 2: Do they get a fine or something like that. 65 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: Look, I just think there are so many moving parts 66 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: and so many parties involved. We are not in a 67 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: position to point fingers or lay blame or think about 68 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: what might happen. What I want to do is get 69 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: the response sorted so we are not pumping or waste 70 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: their as soon as possible, and this look near little 71 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: has this afternoon said there will be an independent review. 72 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: That is the best thing that will give people the 73 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: clarity they need at the right time. And we're focused 74 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: on getting this into a state where we can start 75 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: treating sewage again. That will probably take months, but we 76 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: are and then of course there will. 77 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 2: Be That's all I did say, just quickly, thank you, 78 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:30,239 Speaker 2: appreciate it. I got the answer, Nick Leggett, Wellington Water. 79 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: Chare and for more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen 80 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: live to news Talk sai'd be from four pm weekdays, 81 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.