Published 12/03/2026
Wellington Water welcomes next steps in Moa Point Crown Review
Wellington Water welcomes today’s announcement by the Minister of Local Government on the panel members and terms of reference for the Crown Review into the incident at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
"Wellington Water has unreservedly supported this inquiry since it was signaled in early February,” says Bill Bayfield, Wellington Water’s Board Chair. “We will be fully cooperating in all aspects of the investigation.”
“We appreciate that people want answers, and rightly so. Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to understanding the factors and conditions that led to the failure of the plant, and what can be done to avoid this happening again.”
“Alongside this inquiry, our work to bring the plant back into operation as quickly as possible continues at pace,” says Bill.
“We are currently moving through a robust process to understand the full extent of the damage at the plant. This damage assessment needs to be thorough. A preliminary assessment has been completed and initial equipment has been ordered. However, we are still waiting for the final assessment to make further decisions, and we will work closely with Wellington City Council as the asset owner on our approach to bring the plant back into operation.
“The Board’s direction to staff is to prioritise and deliver this work as quickly and safely as possible without jeopardising quality,” adds Bill.
“Again, we acknowledge this is an unacceptable event, and we share the frustrations felt by Wellingtonians. We are working hard to lessen the impact of the ongoing discharge on the environment and local communities.”
Wellington Water continues to provide regular and weekly updates on our work to repair the plant. These updates are issued and published on our website every Wednesday.
Editor notes
Wellington Water is owned and fully funded by Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Porirua City Council, and Upper Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and South Wairarapa District Council. All six councils are equal shareholders.
Our councils own the water infrastructure in the region, and they task us to manage the infrastructure and deliver water services to our communities.
Wellington Water is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board and our organisation receive overall leadership and direction from the Wellington Water Committee, which are also responsible for appointing members to the Board.
The Wellington Water Committee is made up of representatives from our council owners and mana whenua.