Moa point and new Wellington water authority

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Stu1

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#323944 5-Feb-2026 18:13

Wow moa point what’s going wrong, how can there be soo many failures no back up power beyond belief. The worse thing is as part of the new water entity will the rest of the Wellington ratepayers have to fund the issue. New water bills start on the 1st of July some media reports could be $7.00 per day . Another bill for families before a winter , will be tough financial year.

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#3459203 6-Feb-2026 03:05

Yes, I am biting my tongue on what has happened. In terms of this new replacement to three waters, they really need to do it on usage or person using the resources. That sort of bill per property is crazy, as you may have a single person living in a house and it becomes a single person tax. The whole rating system is not fit for purpose anymore, as it isn't based on resource usage, it is based on wealth and ability to pay more...eg a wealth tax. This also prevents councils collecting as much money as they need to collect. If it was done on a per person, or based on income levels of people residing in the house, it could generate far more money for councils. It is ironic that the planned rates cap doesn't seem to apply to these new water entities, and it feels like these entities could be the start of some form of privatization in the future. It does feel a little like what happened to power boards etc.

Handle9

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#3459204 6-Feb-2026 03:58

Oh the injustice of the wealthy paying more.

John19612

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#3459209 6-Feb-2026 07:11

Handle9:

Oh the injustice of the wealthy paying more.

Why should the wealthy pay more? The price is the price.

PolicyGuy

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#3459214 6-Feb-2026 08:20

John19612:

Handle9:

Oh the injustice of the wealthy paying more.

Why should the wealthy pay more? The price is the price.

Most councils charge for drinking water & sewage based on a UAC (Uniform Annual Charge) which is the same for each property regardless of rating value. This is fair because a huge proportion of the costs are incurred whether you use the connection to the system a lot or a little.
Some charge an extra "pan tax" for each toilet when you have more than one or two. Some charge through water meters for the amount of water actually delivered to the property.

So, by and large, the wealthy in NZ don't pay more for their water & sewage rates.

As far as I can figure out, the immediate problem at Moa Point is that the long outfall appears to have blocked and sewage backed up and inundated the whole treatment works. The issue there is that the long outfall was built in the 1980s and the interior has not been (fully?) inspected since because it's too hard to put a diver down when it's flowing at its normal rate. It does not appear that Wellington Water has either spent much money investigating modern robotic technology, or in getting a license to run treated sewage out the short outfall say one night a year so they could fully inspect the interior of the long outfall. Kiwi "she'll be right" engineering?

Stu1

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#3459272 6-Feb-2026 09:09

mattwnz:

Yes, I am biting my tongue on what has happened. In terms of this new replacement to three waters, they really need to do it on usage or person using the resources. That sort of bill per property is crazy, as you may have a single person living in a house and it becomes a single person tax. The whole rating system is not fit for purpose anymore, as it isn't based on resource usage, it is based on wealth and ability to pay more...eg a wealth tax. This also prevents councils collecting as much money as they need to collect. If it was done on a per person, or based on income levels of people residing in the house, it could generate far more money for councils. It is ironic that the planned rates cap doesn't seem to apply to these new water entities, and it feels like these entities could be the start of some form of privatization in the future. It does feel a little like what happened to power boards etc.

It’s interesting what our council will pay back to rate payers , our rates went up 20% this year for water infrastructure and planned 20% next year and 13 the year after. It feels really rushed to meet the deadline . No information coming from the local mayor. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen

gzt

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#3459309 6-Feb-2026 11:15

"DOC's becoming increasingly concerned about the 70 million litres of raw sewage being pumped into the sea around the capital near the marine reserve, putting several species at risk"

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/586069/doc-becoming-extremely-concerned-about-wellington-sewage-leak

They say it will take months to resolve this situation. That is an enormous quantity. I assume that can't be daily, but the article is not specific. The text implies the station still has pumping capability. I'm not sure that is the case. Uh.. can we borrow an oil tanker temporarily or a fleet?

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#3459311 6-Feb-2026 11:31

You can try to swim at the Wellington coast - but you’re only going through the motions.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

tweake

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#3459324 6-Feb-2026 12:14

PolicyGuy:

Most councils charge for drinking water & sewage based on a UAC (Uniform Annual Charge) which is the same for each property regardless of rating value. This is fair because a huge proportion of the costs are incurred whether you use the connection to the system a lot or a little.
Some charge an extra "pan tax" for each toilet when you have more than one or two. Some charge through water meters for the amount of water actually delivered to the property.

So, by and large, the wealthy in NZ don't pay more for their water & sewage rates.

As far as I can figure out, the immediate problem at Moa Point is that the long outfall appears to have blocked and sewage backed up and inundated the whole treatment works. The issue there is that the long outfall was built in the 1980s and the interior has not been (fully?) inspected since because it's too hard to put a diver down when it's flowing at its normal rate. It does not appear that Wellington Water has either spent much money investigating modern robotic technology, or in getting a license to run treated sewage out the short outfall say one night a year so they could fully inspect the interior of the long outfall. Kiwi "she'll be right" engineering?

here the water is per usage however sewage is not. you probably have heard of the Mangawhai sewage system rip off and the cost to ratepayers.

i have to wonder if the plant can't be turned off. there is no capacity or design in the system for shutdowns to happen, so inspections can't be done. thats not an uncommon issue when there is lack of infrastructure or no will to improve/increase infrastructure.

PolicyGuy

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#3459345 6-Feb-2026 13:44

... in an discharge notice on Friday morning, Wellington Water said screened wastewater was now discharging to the long outfall pipe again.

Hooray!
They've got the screens working - so no more sanitary pads, wet-wipes etc going down the outfall pipe - and [some of] the pumps so they can use the long outfall instead of the short (beachside) outfall

Definitely progress of a forwards nature, but still a long way to go

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/586113/wellington-s-sewage-diverted-away-from-shore-out-to-cook-strait

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#3459348 6-Feb-2026 14:02

It will still take a week or so for the existing “solids” that are close to the short outfall to decompose … but yes, this now gets us back to the position of a “normal” overflow when they just dump screened waste out to sea….

From what they have said, we’re likely to be at this level for months now until they can get the actual treatment plant operating…

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#3459353 6-Feb-2026 14:15

Am suddenly not keen on eating fresh fish anymore.

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tweake

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#3459358 6-Feb-2026 14:56

Eva888:

Am suddenly not keen on eating fresh fish anymore.

shellfish is worse. see the stink (bad pun intended) about the oyster farms in the Mahurangi.

mattwnz

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#3459359 6-Feb-2026 15:04

Handle9:

Oh the injustice of the wealthy paying more.

But that is oftennot the case at all. Especially when many have large mortgages. Any house that is above the average value in the area pays more. Some of the most wealthy may live in a cheap house and earn many hundreds of thousands or millions. It is a big assumption and often incorrect assumption to make that someone who lives in a more valuable house is wealthy and can afford to pay more when not factoring in their income as well. The rates rebate is supposed to help with that but rates have now increased so much more than the rebate which is now often a small percentage

cddt

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#3459420 7-Feb-2026 05:34

First result when I search for "moa point wellington": "We’re building a world-class facility, the first of its type in Aotearoa, to reduce the amount of sewage sludge created through our wastewater treatment process and turn it into a safe, reusable product. This will allow us to reduce our carbon emissions and waste to landfill."

Eva888

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#3459952 9-Feb-2026 13:14

Our sludge tax arrived today at $260 along with a letter advising that from 1 July they will also be collecting a levy to fund the construction of a sludge Minimisation facility at Moa Point.

How are people going to afford all these new levies they are hoisting onto ratepayers with already ridiculous high rates to pay. I believe we are also looking forward to new water rates being added mid year as well.

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