Source: New Zealand Government
The Government has appointed the Crown Review Team which will give Wellingtonians clarity about what went wrong at Moa Point wastewater treatment plant, Local Government Minister Simon Watts says.
Former Watercare chief executive and current chair of the Water Services Authority Raveen Jaduram will lead the team. He will be joined by experienced lawyers Helen Atkins and Michael Weatherall, and senior infrastructure engineer Garry Macdonald.
“Wellingtonians deserve clear answers about what led to the catastrophic failure at Moa Point and the assurance that it will not happen again,” Mr Watts says.
“The review team’s work will provide that certainty by investigating what led to the failure and what must change to prevent it from happening again.
“It has been appointed to both Wellington City Council and to Wellington Water Ltd in a parallel process to ensure we have a comprehensive and coordinated investigation. While they are required to operate under two terms of references, they will function as a unified team to avoid duplication and deliver clear answers about what happened.”
The Crown Review Team’s term runs until 31 August 2026, and it will produce a final report before then.
“We expect to receive an interim report before Wellington’s water assets – including the Moa Point plant – are due to transfer to the new council water organisation Tiaki Wai Limited on 1 July,” Mr Watts says.
Following consideration of the final report, Mr Watts will report back to Cabinet on any recommendations from the investigations.
“I am mindful that the Review Team’s work is likely to coincide with the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s (GWRC) own investigation as the environmental regulator under the Resource Management Act,” Mr Watts says.
“It is my expectation that the Crown Review Team’s activity will not constrain the local authority’s regulatory activity.
“My intention is to publicly release the findings as soon as possible while managing any risk of prejudicing the investigation or any enforcement action by Greater Wellington Regional Council or any commercial or legal action or claims.”
Links to the Terms of Reference:
Wellington City Council Terms of Reference: https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2026-go1237
Wellington Water Terms of Reference: https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2026-go1238/
