Moa Point Discharge FAQs

Wellington Water is responding to a significant incident at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant which has resulted in untreated wastewater discharging through the short outfall pipe into Tarakena Bay, on Wellington’s south coast. 

The discharge begun at approximately 1am Wednesday morning, 4 February 2026, which led to the plant needing to be shut down completely. 

The plant was shut down fully and remains shut. Our immediate focus has been to divert as much wastewater as possible to the long outfall pipe. Screening has resumed to remove items like sanitary pads and wet wipes from the wastewater being discharged.   

Being able to discharge partially screened wastewater out to sea via the 1.8km long outfall pipe will allow for greater dilution of the wastewater in the Cook Strait, rather than untreated wastewater flowing around the coastline. 

We are maintaining our public information communications on a daily basis, utilising all our channels; website, mainstream media, social media, and through the Wellington City Council’s communications channels. 

Signs have been posted along the coastline as well as on the beach with additional, large signs including VMS boards in place.  

Staff have been out along the coastal suburbs dropping flyers at shops and in mailboxes, with beachgoers, answering questions and sharing public health messages.   

Staff volunteers will continue to alert people onsite at beaches over the coming days. 

Mana whenua has placed a rāhui on the whole area. This affects any area that is touched by the sea, including at low or high tide. Community groups and event organisers have been contacted and advised of the issue with the strong recommendation to stay away from the beaches and to respect the rāhui. 

 
A map of the area can be viewed here.   

A number of actions have already been taken, and our efforts will be ongoing. 

Crews are still assessing the impact of flooding on the plant’s equipment and operations. This assessment will take some time, and we expect an extended outage at the plant.   

An investigation of the long outfall pipe has been completed and there are no issues with it. Focus remains on increasing the volume of wastewater flow through the long outfall pipe as much as possible. The long outfall pipe is 1.8km in length, about 1km offshore from the nearest part of the coast to the west. Wastewater is now being screened and the discharged through this pipe. This allows for greater dilution of the wastewater in the Cook Strait, rather than untreated wastewater flowing around the coastline.  

Shoreline inspections and clean-up of debris on the coastline continue three times daily, with a focus on completing these at low tide.   

Water sampling is being undertaken every 24 hours and is being published. 

It is recommended all members of the public follow advice and stay off the beaches and away from the water until further notice. The most up to date information can be found on the Wellington Water website and on our Facebook.  

The best source of information is the LAWA website. 

https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/wellington-region  

Do not swim in or collect or eat kai moana from the affected coastal waters. 

If you have been exposed to the water and develop symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, cough, rash, irritation of the ears, nose or throat, seek medical attention and inform the healthcare provider of your possible contact with sewage.  

Healthline is a free over-the phone health service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0800 611 116.  

It is strongly recommended everyone stays away from the sea and beaches along the south coast of Wellington.  

The best source of information for safe swimming areas is the LAWA website. 

https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/wellington-region  

Some advice is available on the Greater Wellington Regional Council website. Regular updates on the issue are available on our social media page. 

We are undertaking water sampling tests and results will be published each day on our website. 

Shoreline inspections and clean-up of debris on the coastline around the short outfall continue three times daily, with a focus on completing these at low tide.   

This incident is serious and will take time to fix. It is likely to take several weeks and possibly months. It is recommended all members of the public follow advice and stay off the beaches and away from the water along the south coast until further notice. The most up to date information can be found on the Wellington Water website and via Facebook. 

Only use your toilets for the Three Ps: poo, pee and paper.  

Wet wipes, sanitary products and any other item are not fit for flushing down the toilets. These need to be disposed of appropriately through recommended methods. 

There will be a thorough and robust investigation into the cause and this will be publicly shared. 

We have done water sampling around the South Coast. These tests take at least 24 hours to produce a result as the bacteria has to be grown in the lab. Sampling results are on our website. 

Multiple floors and key areas of the plant have been inundated.  The main area, the size of an Olympic sized swimming pool, had wastewater up to three metres deep. This made it impossible to access the site without causing more issues. 

Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant has been in operation since 1998. Wellington City Council own the plant and Wellington Water maintains it with operational support from Veolia. 

Only contractors from Wellington Water and Wellington City Council with the relevant health and safety clearance are undertaking this work.  

Typically, when there is heavy rain, there is discharge of treated or partially treated wastewater out to sea. However, in this case, it is a complete plant shutdown, resulting in untreated wastewater, that includes raw sewage, being discharged through the short outfall which is 5 metres long.  

No one was injured as the event took place during the early hours of the morning around 1am, and there were no personnel at risk. 

Wellington City Council own the plant and Wellington Water maintains it with operational support from Veolia. 

As of 1 July 2026, as per legislation, Wellington Water will amalgamate with a new water entity, Tiaki Wai.  

Tiaki Wai is the new organisation that will deliver drinking water, wastewater and reticulated stormwater services across the metropolitan Wellington area from 1 July 2026. More information can be found on their website.  

A rāhui has been placed in partnership with Iwi. There are temporary restrictions for swimming and accessing the beach in the areas that this is in place. We are following practices of mana whenua. This is not only keeping people safe in the interest of public health, but also to acknowledge culturally the harm that has been done to the moana and surrounding environment. 

As at 7 February. there was no wastewater discharge from short outfall pipe. Focus remains on increasing the volume of wastewater flow through the long outfall pipe as much as possible. The long outfall pipe is 1.8km in length, about 1km offshore. 

The screens at the treatment plant are working. These screens remove items like sanitary pads and wet wipes from the wastewater, before it is discharged.