Water Journal May/June 2024

Enabling investment in the water sector

Improving the planning of infrastructure works Is your wetland working?

Unlocking the potential of recycled water

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President: Lorraine Kendrick

Board Members: Bruce Balaei, Troy Brockbank, Fraser Clark, Tim Gibson, David Hogg, Lorraine Kendrick, Priyan Perera, Shelley Wharton

Chief Executive: Gillian Blythe

Internal Events and Logistics Co-ordinator:

Katrina Guy

Corporate and Membership Services Manager: Mumtaz Parker

Membership Administrator/Office Manager: Pip Donnelly

Technical Advisor (Regulatory):

Nicci Wood

Technical Advisor (Projects and Sustainability): Lesley Smith

Training Development Manager: Belinda Cridge

Communications Manager: Debra Harrington

Marketing, Website and Design Co-ordinator: Ranya Adolf

Association Secretary and Executive Administrator: Ali Bray

Accounts Administrator: Zoe Hubbard

OUR

Infrastructure

Onsite Waste Water Management Stormwater Water Service Managers’ Group Water Efficiency and Conservation Action Network (WeCan)

Water Utilities Association

Young Water Professionals: Chapters in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

For information contact:

Katrina Guy 04 495 0891, email: Katrina.guy@waternz.org.nz

WATER JOURNAL

Editorial: Mary Searle Bell, Contrafed Publishing

M: +64 21 676 034

Advertising Sales: Debbie Laing

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Publishing: Contrafed Publishing, General Manager: David Penny, 1 Grange Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024

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DISCLAIMER: Water New Zealand reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material submitted for publication. The opinions expressed in contributions to Water are not necessarily those of Water New Zealand. The information contained in this publication is given in good faith and has been derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, neither Water New Zealand, nor any person(s) involved in the preparation of this publication accept any form of liability whatsoever for its content including advertisements, editorials, opinions, advice or information. This extends to any consequences from its use. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or ink–jet printing without prior written permission of the publishers.

ISSN 1179-2949 (Print)

ISSN 2382-1906 (Online) www.waternz.org.nz

Water is printed on environmentally responsible paper, sourced from PEFC certified fibre from sustainably managed and legally harvested forests, and manufactured under strict ISO 14001 environmental management systems.

INSIDE

04 President’s comment

08 Survey reveals need to unlock funding

09 The value of modelling water

11 Aotearoa New Zealand: A plastic ‘hope spot’

12 Local Water Done Well framework

14 Expert panel insights into transforming procurement practices

16 Obituary: Keith Davis

17 Obituary: Mike Devine

FEATURES

20 Profile: Noel Roberts

22 Profile: Joanne Hewitt

24 Profile: Paul Champion

26 Enabling investment in the water sector

34 Improving the planning of infrastructure works

46 Is your wetland working?

50 New ocean species discovered in Bounty Trough

54 The first steps towards water reuse

58 Watercare’s learnings from full-scale rescue scenarios

60 Switching oil for water

64 Study reveals flood mud burden on Moreton Bay

66 The impact of flood water on the ocean

68 Pokaiwhenua planting to improve stream water quality

70 Shedding light on a very dark river

72 Climate change’s impact on global water resources

CASE STUDIES AND COMMENT PIECES

38 Long-term planning to turn the tide of water woes

40 Will the benefits of fast-track consenting flow through to water projects?

44 Legal update on the year to date

52 Lessons from Queenstown’s cryptosporidiosis outbreak 26

‘Ka ora te wai, ka ora te whenua, ka ora nga tangata’

‘If the water is healthy, the land is healthy, the people are healthy’

The official journal of Water New Zealand – New Zealand’s only water environment periodical. Established in 1958, Water New Zealand is a non-profit organisation.

Repositioning water

Lorraine Kendrick President, Water New Zealand

As 2024 gets underway, we’re starting to see the way through the new Government’s Local Water Done Well policies, with the first of two new pieces of legislation, the Local Government Water Services (Transitional Provisions Bill), due to be enacted by mid-year. We’ll be working hard to ensure that our members’ voices are heard at all stages and that the new legislation is as workable and technically feasible as possible.

Some of our members around the country have been at our regional events where we’ve been talking about the various impacts of the government changes. We understand the challenges that all councils will be under as they focus on their Water Services Delivery Plans – the first stage in what will be a big step to fund services, now that control and full ownership has been placed firmly back in their hands.

There are opportunities for thinking about the wider landscape, particularly around funding and for those of you coming to our Stormwater Conference, the panel discussion on enabling investment though sustainable finance will scope out new ideas and thinking around funding.

But while funding and affordability is currently front of mind, it’s vital to remember that the industry is about people. Without people we don’t have an industry.

We will need smart people making smart decisions and if we have those people, we’ll have smarter funding structures.

So we need to ensure that water is an attractive option for a wide pool of talent. We need to continue to welcome diversity in our workforce and ensure that our organisations reflect that important culture that will bring younger and a wider range of people to the sector.

It’s no secret we have an aging workforce with many people heading towards retirement over the next decade. A survey three years ago found that the average age of the water sector was 56. So that’s a big cohort of skills heading towards the twilight of their careers.

The good news, however, is that now, about half of the under 35s

are women. Perhaps this reflects the changing nature of water and the growing diversity, not just of people being attracted to water, but the huge choice of fascinating and rewarding careers available. Water is no longer dominated by engineers and pipes.

We need to reflect that and rebrand. We need to make it clear that water offers a huge number of career choices, and that it’s a very exciting collegial place to work.

Te Mana o te Wai opens up a whole new way of seeking solutions. We’re so fortunate to have an indigenous culture here that we can learn so much from, and that we can lead the world with.

We’re no longer an industry that turns to pipes as the first solution to water challenges. We’re no longer predominantly engineers. Nature-based stormwater solutions and urban planning, for instance, requires us to think of wetlands and playground amenities. We have to work with communities and in urban design. Readers of our journal and those of you who attend our conferences and join our many and varied special interest groups will already be well aware of these changes and our evolution.

I’m very much looking forward to our Stormwater Conference. This year we’ve got a special event for students to showcase to them exciting career opportunities. We have some visionary presenters and of course we’re very excited to be showing, for the first time in Aotearoa New Zealand, the feature documentary, Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey. The film traverses our relationship with water, looking at global solutions and this time the Whanganui river story has made it into the final cut.

That film portrays just how we can be world leading in recognising the true value of a living river – how it replenishes, supports and nourishes the communities – iwi and hapu – that live alongside it, from the mountains to the sea.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Ka kite anō

Lorraine Kendrick President

Join the discussion at the biggest event on the three waters calendar – Earlybird deals open in June

Find out about the latest thinking on innovation and technology, water reforms, Te Mana o te Wai, partnerships, resilience, sustainability and much more.

Take part in discussions, workshops, make new contacts and business opportunities, and visit up to 220 exhibition stands, while helping shape the future of the water sector in Aotearoa New Zealand.

If you’re in the business of water – this is a must-attend event.

Excellence Awards – nominations open in May

Help us celebrate outstanding achievement across the water sector. Keep an eye on our website for updates and further information

PREMIER PARTNERS

REGULATORY PARTNER

Claudelands, Kirikiriroa Hamilton

Embracing change is the theme of our Stormwater 2024 conference. Climate challenges mean we need to find affordable and sustainable ways to enable new infrastructure investment and seek more innovative nature-based solutions.

With this in mind, we’re delighted to bring you a line-up of keynote speakers and discussions that will traverse these challenges and help us plan for a stormwater resilient future.

Kara Puketapu-Dentice

Kara is the CEO of Taranaki Whānui, a tribal entity within Aotearoa New Zealand, where he is responsible for delivering the social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing for his 20,000 members.

In 2015, Kara participated in the Asia Pacific Leadership Programme at the East West Centre in Hawaii, and later in 2019 was selected as an emerging leader to be a part of the Obama Foundation Asia Pacific Leadership Forum held in Malaysia.

Kara is of Te Āti Awa and Ngāi Tūhoe descent.

Paul O’Callaghan (Virtual Keynote Speaker)

Paul is the co-producer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey - which is being shown at a special pre-conference screening. This new documentary explores humanity’s relationship with water and how we can help rebalance the planet’s water systems.

It takes us from the mountains of Peru to the Whanganui River and looks at how we can fuse the wisdom of our ancestors and modern science and technology to transform this world for the better.

A water scientist, Paul believes that the global water crisis can be solved in his lifetime and he is on a mission to help make it happen.

Jonny Osborne & Nicola Patrick

Nicola holds the position of Director Catchment for the environmental group at the Greater Wellington Regional Council. She is an environmental specialist who thrives in complex and emerging sectors. Jonny participated in Te Whaitua o Te Whanganui-aTara as a community representative between 2018-2021. The group, tasked by Greater Wellington Regional Council to develop a plan to restore Te Mana o Te Wai to the waters that flow into Wellington Harbour, delivered a series of recommendations in late 2021

Robert C. Brears

Robert is the founder of Our Future Water, an initiative focused on sustainable water resource management. He has authored fourteen books, including Financing Water Security and Green Growth (Oxford University Press), Urban Water Security, Blue and Green Cities, and Nature-based Solutions to 21st Century Challenges.

He serves as a sectoral expert on water for the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund and the World Bank.

Panel discussion: Can we enable investment through sustainable finance?

Brad Tiller – Facilitator

Water New Zealand Stormwater Group member and senior resources consultant at Tonkin + Taylor.

Panellists include:

Helmut Karewa Modlik

Helmut is Chief Executive at Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Incorporated. He has extensive consulting experience in a wide range of private and public sectors (particularly health) including appointment to the boards of PHARMAC, Capital & Coast District Health Board, Health Information Standards Organisation, and Health Information Strategy Action Committee.

Dean Spicer

Dean is Head of Sustainable Finance NZ, ANZ New Zealand Limited. He has spent more than 25 years in financial markets covering equities fund management and debt capital markets, both in New Zealand, the UK and continental Europe.

Sam Stubbs

Sam Stubbs is the co-founder of Simplicity, one ofAotearoa New Zealand’s fastest growing KiwiSaver plans. Simplicity is a nonprofit KiwiSaver and Fund Manager that gives 15% of all fees to charity and invests with a conscience.

David Hall

David Hall is Climate Policy Director at Toha and Rewiring Aotearoa, and Senior Lecturer in Climate Action at AUT University’s School of Social Sciences & Public Policy. He has worked extensively with communities, iwi, businesses, and local and central government.

Tonia Haskell

Tonia is the Chief Executive of Wellington Water and is responsible for the company’s overall leadership, management, performance, and service delivery. Tonia has been an experienced senior executive in a number of infrastructure industries, including telecommunications and public transport.

PREMIER PARTNER

CONFERENCE PARTNERS

New Tāwara o te Wai podcasts online

Water New Zealand members Jon Reed and Hannah Edmond continue to discuss key issues facing the sector in our Tāwara o te Wai podcast series. Two of our latest podcasts focus on how well we’re planning for the inevitable uncertainty caused by climate change as well as what we can learn from our water sector counterparts on the other side of the Tasman.

Water challenges on both sides of the ditch

“If you don’t have people, you don’t have an industry,” said Water New Zealand president Lorraine Kendrick when she discussed challenges facing the water sector both here and across the Tasman with Australian Water Association president Peter Dennis.

In this Tāwara o te Wai podcast discussion, both presidents agreed that skilled staffing was fundamental to ensuring a sustainable water future.

“It’s an incredibly challenging time in the Australian water industry,” says Peter.

He says people are no longer working 20 years-plus in utilities. Instead, they’re coming in, staying for five years, getting some experience, and moving on. And for those that do stay, there’s a drain away from regional areas to the coast.

“Why wouldn’t you want to work in Byron Bay or Coffs Harbour?”

While we share many common challenges – there’s a big range of models in Australia and big polarity when it comes to success.

In Western and South Australia, the larger state-owned corporations are able to use their scale and skills based boards to help ensure success. In contrast, in rural New South Wales and Queensland, many of the entities are struggling with similar problems faced on this side of the Tasman due to a lack of investment in infrastructure and skills.

Both presidents agreed that an important key to future resilience was through greater understanding and acknowledgement of indigenous knowledge.

Water resilience: Dealing with the big dry

What happens when water demand risks exceeding available supply? In this podcast Hannah and Jon talk to Wellington Water chief executive Tonia Haskell and the technical director of South East Water in the UK, Meyrick Gough, about how water utilities can plan for the inevitable: climate change related extreme weather and drought.

The forecast El Nino dry summer led to Wellingtonians being confronted by the real risk of water shortages. But it’s not just water shortage. Longer drier weather, coupled with more intense rainfall is leading to not just water scarcity but challenges around water quality such as managing treatment and nitrate levels.

In this discussion, we hear how South East Water has shifted the dial on its long term resilience planning – from a one-in-50 year drought, to coming to grips with the possibility of a worst-case scenario: an unprecedented event.

In Wellington, finding new water sources is not an option. So much of the emphasis has to be on building resilience in the network – having conversations with council owners about the need for investment, as well as conversations with the community about the need to value and conserve water in the long term.

You can listen to both these podcasts and others on the Water New Zealand website.

Survey reveals need to unlock funding and avoid stop-start investment

Two thirds of respondents in a Three Waters Pulse Survey in March reported that they had contracts either paused, deferred, or cancelled in the six months prior.

The survey, conducted by Water New Zealand and ACE New Zealand, across the membership of the two organisations, represented almost 100 contractors, consultancies, suppliers and councils.

Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe says the findings reflected the growing concerns of an investment hiatus.

“We decided to carry out the survey after we’d been hearing from our members that a significant number of contracts were being put on hold or had been cancelled altogether since late last year.

“This survey provided us with a strong indication that there was a definite impact on the supply chain linked to uncertainty and a lack of expected, previously-planned investment.”

She said that these results were concerning. The survey highlighted the need for a long-term agreed approach by central and local government that provides certainty.

“Water services are provided by long-life multi-billion dollar assets. We need a well-defined, committed and funded pipeline of work that avoids stop-start situations.”

The survey also revealed a significant drop in business confidence, with 75 percent reporting either significant or some deterioration in business confidence.

While two-thirds of respondents reported contract cuts and deferrals, around one third reported that new contracts had been

issued in the past six months.

ACE New Zealand chief executive Helen Davidson says she was concerned that businesses were downsizing and many talented workers were heading off-shore.

“When those skilled workers leave our shores, it will be difficult to attract them back when we need them.

Key findings include:

Contract outcomes in last 6 months (percentage of respondents)

Twenty-nine percent of respondents report significant deterioration in business confidence in the past six months, while 46 percent report some deterioration, 13 percent report no change, while 12 percent report some improvement.

Go to the public resources section of the Water New Zealand website to see the survey results.

Seeing the unseen, the value of modelling water

More than 90 delegates and speakers got together in Ōtautahi Christchurch in March for the 25th anniversary of the Water New Zealand Modelling Symposium.

The celebration this year was another indication of the increasing importance of modelling in the water sector – a far cry from its beginning a quarter of a century ago, when the group consisted of six people meeting down at the pub.

These days the Modelling Symposium is firmly on the calendar, a key opportunity for modelling professionals to showcase the latest advancements, challenges, and innovative solutions in the water industry, as well as providing a forum for discussion amongst peers.

Day one

The first keynote speaker, Rob Bell, presented on climate change impacts and implications for three waters.

With the issues experienced in recent years, it’s not surprising that much of the first day focused on stormwater and flooding. Numerous presentations examined how to better understand and mitigate flooding.

There was particular interest in a presentation by Andra Estivariz, a PhD student at the University of Canterbury, on using machine learning to quickly and accurately predict the extent of flooding using rainfall forecasts.

Michael Arthur spoke on the process of compiling the Water New Zealand Stormwater Modelling Guidelines, which will be launched later in the year. These guidelines will join the previously published Water and Wastewater Modelling guidelines.

The second keynote speaker was a familiar face – Ian Garside was one of the original members of the group. His presentation covered the evolution of modelling, from a small group of enthusiastic and committed people, to its widespread use in networks planning today. He was optimistic about what the future holds, the role modelling can play, and possibilities for smart networks and system optimisation going forward.

The afternoon session provided three different options for the attendees, who got to choose from a site visit to the Bromley Wastewater Treatment Plant, or one of two workshops hosted by Tuflow and Autodesk.

In addition to the formal presentations, the symposium provided ample opportunities for networking and collaboration. The dinner is a

great chance to network, discuss the highlights of the day, meet new people or catch up with old colleagues in a relaxed and informal setting.

Day two

The chair of the modelling group, Wioletta Gilfoyle, kicked off day two, followed by Lara Taylor presenting on Mana Enhancing Modelling.

Lara’s keynote presentation focused on how modelling can provide better outcomes for our environment and our communities, protect our ecosystem and clean up our seas and waterways.

Other presentations throughout the day reflected topics such as seawater ingress, pump station flows, and 30 years of experience in the industry.

There was a continued theme of using artificial intelligence and machine learning to help speed up analysis and better understand results, and a few presentations that followed the theme of the keynote in using modelling to identify the most effective ways that we can reduce our impact on the natural environment.

One of the standout features of this year’s symposium was the depth and breadth of the topics presented. Researchers and practitioners alike shared their insights, drawing on their experiences and studies.

The Modelling Group believes that this is one of the strengths of the symposium. Each presentation is unique and provides new perspectives and valuable insights for everyone.

The presentations can be accessed from the

resources section of the Water New Zealand website. See conference papers.

Awards

Graham Moralee won the award for best presentation. Fresh from the UK, his talk offered a perspective on how modelling is being used over there to combat wastewater overflows and how the facts can often be different from the perspective put across in the media.

The award for best abstract went to Jeanette Tucker and Dan Johnson who presented on combining modelling results and other information in a GIS package to allow councils and water companies to easily identify and prioritise asset renewals.

Our thanks

Successful events don’t happen without the hard work and support from the many people behind the scenes. A special mention to Wioletta Gilfoyle, Alistair Osbourne, Kirsten Henden, Elliot Egan, and Mike Dunstone for helping organise this year’s event. Also, an extra special thanks to Water New Zealand staff members, Katrina Guy and Nicci Wood.

Thank you again to our sponsors – Asset Dynamics, DHI, HAL, Stantec, Tonkin + Taylor, Tuflow.

Save the date

Next year’s symposium will be in Kirikiriroa Hamilton the week of 17 March. With growing attendance and more abstracts submitted, bigger venues are on the horizon.

Presentation of the Year winner

Graham Moralee of Stantec, pictured with Modelling chair Wioletta Gilfoyle.

Award winner Dan Johnson of WSP, who jointly won Abstract of the Year.

Annual requirements for drinking water

In March 2024, Taumata Arowai delivered a series of online workshops hosted by Water New Zealand on annual reporting requirements for the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules (the Rules). The Rules set minimum requirements for the treatment of drinking water, and monitoring and reporting on drinking water supplies.

In the same way suppliers depend on information to ensure they provide safe and sufficient drinking water, Taumata Arowai depends on information to help build a picture of how suppliers are performing and to promote public understanding of supplies across the country.

The information received from suppliers helps Taumata Arowai inform its regulatory approach and shape its annual Drinking Water Regulation Report, of which the next edition will be published by July 1, 2024.

The two-hour workshops helped suppliers learn more about the rules reporting, guidance and resources available. It gave them the opportunity to ask questions, work through any issues and give feedback to Taumata Arowai on improvements for next year.

For more information including detailed guidance, the Rules and clarifications, and webinar recordings visit: taumataarowai.govt.nz/ monitoring-water-quality.

Women in water

Women need water and water needs women. This was one of the opening lines of the International Water Association’s panel discussion on International Women’s Day, March 8.

Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe joined the IWA panel of women water sector leaders from across the Asia Pacific region discussing the challenges that women working in water face.

Titled, Empowering Women in Water: Perspectives from the AsiaPacific Region, the webinar included speakers from Japan, Malaysia, China, India, Australia, as well as Aotearoa New Zealand.

The speakers provided their perspectives, lessons learned, and suggestions, considering issues like cultural context, recruitment and retention of women into a wide range of roles, and the particular challenges to women in leadership positions.

Gillian spoke about the importance of knowing and understanding what it is that you, as an individual, bring to an organisation. The benefit of strong mentoring and setting goals and priorities were also highlighted through a number of wide-ranging discussions.

You can listen to the webinar by going to the International Water Association (IWA) website.

Water New Zealand’s Digital Badges revamp

Water New Zealand’s digital badges have continued to be a popular learning opportunity for both members and the wider water sector, due to their flexible online delivery, convenience and affordability. But as Water New Zealand is always looking to improve things, it’s time for an update.

Digital Badges have now been relaunched, offering new learning opportunities, streamlined registration and progress tracking, as well as more tailored subscription packages.

New badges coming

As well as the nine badges currently on offer, new topics are in the pipeline to make sure we keep up with the diverse needs of our learners. We’re currently exploring some of our emerging environmental issues as well as adding new technical content.

We are always grateful for suggestions for future badge topics – simply email us at training@waternz.org.nz to share your ideas.

Tailored subscription packages

We’re offering a new subscription package tailored for councils and larger organisations.

Subscribers not only benefit from discounted rates but also gain access to our exclusive ‘Welcome to Water’ badge, a 20-minute introductory course designed for teams working alongside water professionals. Ideal for finance, HR, and customer service teams, this badge provides essential insights into the water sector, fostering better collaboration and understanding across departments.

To learn more, and to see our current Digital Badges, visit the career development section of the Water New Zealand website or email training@waternz.org.nz

Oceanographer describes Aotearoa New Zealand as a plastic ‘hope-spot’

Captain Charles Moore, the man renowned for first identifying the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ of microplastics, recently spoke at two Water New Zealand Drinking Water Group and Tonkin + Taylor events, held in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

He reiterated how microplastic pollution has now reached every corner of the globe – oceans and rivers, soil, air, and even outer space. Plastic is found in the food chain and is damaging the health of every living organism, including humans.

As an oceanographer, Charles started his scientific life searching the oceans for nutrient contamination and pesticides, but was astonished by what he found in the Pacific.

“I found more plastic than life in the Pacific. There were six kilos of plastic to every kilo of zooplankton. The idea that trash was outweighing life even at the surface was explosive.”

He says the realisation of the scale of the pollution came after some research.

“When you talk about an island of trash, that wasn’t an a-ha moment. There wasn’t an island of trash as such. It’s not just toothbrushes and coat hangers, it’s all these broken up pieces of plastic. That’s when I got worried.”

Charles calls these gyres of microplastic. In the world’s oceans there are five giant floating plastic patches twice the size of Texas.

“It’s a truly disgusting plastic cesspool. Bacteria can’t eat it and the organisms that can eat it suffer.”

These garbage patches may harbour a million pieces per square kilometre.

Charles says our rivers are also loaded with microplastics and act as highways of trash helping the microplastics to accumulate in these rubbish gyres.

He also talks about a Korean study that looks at microplastics on the world’s residential and agricultural land. Microplastics, he says, are lighter than soil particles and may be contributing to soil erosion.

Charles Moore’s own work as an oceanographer has made him concerned about the world’s most numerous vertebrate, the Lantern fish.

This creature, which makes up 50 percent of the fish biomass on the planet, also migrates from the depths to the surface at night to evade predators.

“They are in trouble as the microplastics are acting a little like life preservers, so they are getting less nutrition.”

In the United States, the Senate has mandated a monitoring of microplastics in drinking water.

“This is a four-year programme to find out just how much microplastic there is in our drinking water. Plastics are made from harmful chemicals. We now have documented developmental derailments including endocrine disruption and cancers.”

So are there any answers? Charles is not optimistic.

“The business case for plastics has no room for the removal of the waste. It is not part of the business case for manufacturers.”

However, he is optimistic about Aotearoa New Zealand.

“The one nation that is thinking about things like this is New Zealand.”

Captain Charles Moore, the man renowned for first identifying the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ of microplastics. “I found more plastic than life in the Pacific. There were six kilos of plastic to every kilo of zooplankton. The idea that trash was outweighing life even at the surface was explosive.”

Inset: Microplastics collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

He cites the simple example of wooden knives and forks on Air New Zealand flights. And he also singles us out as a ‘hope spot’ when it comes to microplastics.

“I am as depressed as hell about this thing, but I went to Kaikōura and I walked on the beach for over an hour and I couldn’t find any plastic and I was freaking out. What’s going on here? I am going to push Kaikōura as a hope spot.”

Sadly a few days after Charles’ presentation, just 530 kilometres away from Kaikōura in Dunedin, a 10-day-old Toroa, an albatross chick, died after ingesting soft plastic regurgitated by its parent.

You can watch the Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland presentation on the Water New Zealand website in the public resources area.

Local Water Done Well framework and the transitional arrangements announcements

By Nicci Wood, technical advisor – regulatory, Water New Zealand

In early April, the Minister of Local Government announced the first steps of the rollout of the Local Water Done Well programme of reforms. The announcement was accompanied by a letter to all mayors, regional council chairs, and CEOs with further supporting information.

It provides an overview of policy decisions that will be reflected in the proposed Local Government Water Services (Transitional Provisions) Bill. This legislation is expected to be introduced in either late April or early May, with enactment scheduled by the end of June.

The upcoming Bill will spell out what the obligations around service delivery planning are, steps towards economic regulation, and will provide a bespoke process for those local authorities wanting to move quickly for setting up water services council-controlled organisations (CCOs).

Service delivery planning

Water Services Delivery Plans need to, individually or jointly, demonstrate how councils will deliver water services that are financially sustainable, meet regulatory quality standards for infrastructure and water quality, and unlock housing growth.

A service delivery plan will set out a local authority’s proposed approach to the long-term delivery of each of drinking water, sewage treatment disposal, and stormwater treatment and disposal.

The plan will need to demonstrate that services are meeting the applicable health and environmental standards in a financially sustainable way.

What are Water Services Delivery Plans?

• One-off, transitional documents, with a 10-year timeframe.

• Developed individually or jointly for new water service delivery arrangements.

• Must include drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater, but there is flexibility about transferring stormwater.

• Show funding and finance for long-term investment in water infrastructure, including renewals and operating costs.

• Plans have no regulatory function – LTPs continue to be councils’ primary planning and accountability document. Services delivery plans will be due no later than one year from the date of commencement of the Bill.

The department will be offering what is referred to as ‘light touch’ support to local authorities with service delivery plans. That includes the provision of technical advice and the option

of a departmentally provided facilitator – both at the local authority’s expense.

Councils are to determine how best to engage with their communities as part of the plan development process. We observe the announcements are silent about co-governance and te Tiriti. Previous statements have indicated that it will be left to local authorities and communities to consider as part of the service delivery planning process – there’s nothing to stop councils undertaking extensive engagement with mana whenua in developing their approach to three waters service provision.

Water Services Delivery Plans won’t be ‘approved’ by the Minister, but the robustness of information provided will be checked by the Department.

If the year’s deadline is not met or plans aren’t provided, the Minister will step in using the regulatory backstop powers. The Minister will be able to appoint a Crown facilitator who could provide additional assistance and have a plan prepared, at the council’s expense.

The Department has committed to providing guidance to support the development of service delivery plans. That is scheduled for July. Water New Zealand will offer to assist with this guidance.

Steps towards future economic regulation

Economic regulation is a key feature of Local Water Done Well. It is intended to ensure consumers pay efficient, cost-reflective prices for water services, that those services are delivered to an acceptable quality, and that water services providers are investing sufficiently in their infrastructure.

Baseline information collected in water service delivery plans will be a transitionary step and inform the full economic regulation regime.

All councils that have water service delivery responsibilities (either directly or via CCOs) will be subject to these requirements. Councils with more advanced asset/financial management practices will be subject to earlier information disclosure (or those that move to establish new organisations).

Economic regulation provisions will be included in the Local Government Water Services Bill (“Bill 3”) to be introduced December 2024, and passed in mid-2025.

Streamlined processes for establishing CCOs

Under Local Water Done Well, a range of structural and financing tools will be available to councils to use for water services,

including a new class of financially independent council-owned organisations. It is expected these will be an alternative to the standard requirements in the Local Government Act.

These options will be included in the Bill 3, with policy decisions expected to be announced in mid-2024. The Bill will contain a bespoke set of consultation and decisionmaking arrangements that will enable councils to streamline this process, while continuing to provide the opportunity for community input.

Better Off and Transition Support funding arrangements

Cabinet has agreed to retain existing funding arrangements under the previous Government’s water reform programme, and has asked the Department of Internal Affairs to work with councils and iwi to align these to Local Water Done Well.

Our involvement to date

Water New Zealand acknowledges that our members hold a variety of views in relation to water reforms. For this reason, we’re focusing on technical excellence in the delivery result in the provision of safe, reliable, and efficient water services. Accordingly, our involvement and advocacy focuses on

ensuring the Local Water Done Well policy, framework and transition is workable to this end.

To date, our involvement in the Local Water Done Well framework has included working with the Department of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Commerce Commission drafting policy for water service delivery plans and foundational information disclosure.

With Taituarā, we have drafted a briefing document to the Minister on steps towards economic regulation specific to the local government water sector. We have delivered webinars to members on the policy establishing the framework and transitional arrangements for the new water services system; recordings are available on our website. That webinar held two purposes – to help with submissions and to help clarify policy expectations around the service delivery planning.

Next steps

We expect the Bill will be introduced to Parliament by the time this publication goes to print. We understand that there will be a Select Committee process, but the commitment to enact by the end of June suggests that any submission process will be open for a short time only.

Taking care of the 3 Waters now and for generations to come

Expert panel insights into transforming procurement practices

In March this year, Water New Zealand and Deloitte joined forces to explore the ‘no-regrets’ next steps to realise the sector’s future aspirations for procurement. Procurement experts, Paul Shallard and David Lovatt of Deloitte, Sara Lindsay of NZTA Waka Kotahi, Euan Stitt of Wellington Water, and Louise Gibson of Brian Perry Civil, joined with audiences in Wellington to unpick the roadblocks in our existing procurement practices, and agree on a route forward.

This article summarises their insights. The challenges facing our water supply systems are numerous and well documented: aging assets, climate change, population growth, and a long running funding deficit. Increasingly strained balance sheets and affordability issues mean that meeting challenges will require a shift to new models of procurement.

Smarter procurement offers more than a means to overcoming these challenges, there are numerous benefits to be realised. Last year, Water New Zealand workshopped with members throughout the country to find their vision for water services in the year 2050.

Transforming procurement emerged as a strong theme, with aspirations to:

• Realise efficiencies in the supply chain through future-focused and collaborative procurements frameworks.

• Unlock innovative technologies and approaches.

• Harness local skills and decentralised approaches that build supply chain resilience and support local economies.

• Drive social and environmental outcomes through procurement.

Traditional tendering approach to practices in the water sector carry with them high transaction costs and often miss opportunities. A shift towards smart procurement practices means considering long-term outcomes, cross sectoral collaboration, and a strategic approach that considers both the buyer and the seller.

For Paul Shallard, becoming a smart buyer means: “We need to be truly contemplating what it means for the other side of the transaction. How do we work together to achieve an outcome? There’s a myriad number of things which need to be taken into account in that, but fundamentally, we need a shift in mindset.”

Overcoming challenges of traditional procurement approaches

Panellists highlighted the lengthy and bureaucratic hurdles created by a least-cost tendering approach to procurement. For the team at Brian Perry Civil, Louise Gibson spoke about the lost opportunities for staff to be engaged in meaningful work: “There are so many people involved for months; you put your really good

people onto those bids to win. And you think, what else could they be doing?”

It’s not only the time and productivity losses that bother Louise. She highlights how a focus on winning tenders through lowest cost bidding, can mean that priorities fall on cost rather than service delivery.

“You win a tender, and you think, what have I missed? You lose a tender, and you think, what have they missed!?”

Procurement panel arrangements offer an alternative to traditional market competition-based approach.

Euan Stitt talked about Wellington Water’s recent panel approach.

“The panel is set up very much within a collaborative framework. We work under a capacity and capability driven allocation model, which raises some eyebrows. However, one of the benefits is that we have delivered significant increase on our (capital works) programme.

“We went from $60 million to over $300 million (annually). There’s absolutely no way we were going to deliver that scale of programme by tendering individual project works. We need a strategic approach, not a transactional one.”

In addition to reducing downtime to increase the capacity to deliver works, Euan outlined other benefits that have been achieved. Panel partners have had the certainty to invest in building their capacity. Integration across design, build, and operate phases of projects has improved. And the model has helped engender a strong health and safety culture across construction.

Enabling supplier investment through collaboration

With much of water sector procurement being driven by local government planning processes, it can be easy to get stuck into three-year planning cycles. This is at odds with the long life of water assets, often extending to 100 years.

Euan thinks that more collaborative models would enable a longer-term approach.

“A smart buyer framework will help us take a longer term, bigger picture view of what we’re doing and how we’re going to deliver it. We need not just a project view, not just an annual planning view, we need models to work with the private sector to deliver for the long term.”

At present a significant challenge faced by suppliers is the lack of visibility and transparency in procurement pipelines.

Louise highlighted some of the challenges this creates for contractors: “At the moment, we’re preparing budgets for next year. Not knowing what’s ahead makes it hard to plan for overheads and bids and prepare our workforce.”

Having long term programmes of work visible to suppliers can help address this challenge and provide greater certainty for the supply chain, enabling investment in the mix of skills and capabilities needed in the future.

Economic regulation of other sectors, notably price path planning, has required the establishment of costed delivery plans enabling funding certainty unlocking investment in the supply chain. While other infrastructure sectors such as marine and energy, have a long term committed pipeline of work, this is an area where the water sector can improve.

Building trusting relationships with suppliers

While economic regulation of water is still some way off, collaborative arrangements amongst buyers can also help foster an attractive investment environment for suppliers.

Sara Lindsay says there is a need to see broader than our current state of play.

“Collaboration is important. You can’t be seen to be doing it all on your own locale, you need to see broader. There are an awful lot of councils across New Zealand operating as independent sovereign entities – doing their thing under their own rules.”

While investment needs in water infrastructure across the country have often similar characteristics, our many small geographically dispersed communities mean regions acting alone have insufficient scale to create incentives for suppliers to innovate.

Buyers, and suppliers agreed – enhancing collaboration amongst buyers could provide signals to the supplier community, to invest in their people, their IP, and their businesses.

Paul has spent decades working in procurement and has been observing approaches to procurement mature and change across various sectors, noting a shift towards more collaborative and flexible approaches.

“New modes of engagement are moving away from the long drawn out traditional tender processes in favour or more collaborative ways of working, opening up to early supplier involvement and getting people to share in a safe way from a commercial perspective.

“Supplier relationship management is becoming increasingly important as a vehicle to achieve this.”

The session underscored the need for the sector to work together to unlock innovation and efficiency to achieve meaningful change. Collaboration today will set the sector up for success now and in the future.

Water New Zealand thanks Deloitte for initiating the conversation and the panellists and the audience for their insights.

Our Blue World – a Water Odyssey

Join us for an exclusive premiere screening of the powerful new documentary from the makers of the Brave Blue World – this time featuring the story of the Whanganui River.

Narrated by Liam Neeson, this latest documentary explores many parts of the globe, including here in Aotearoa New Zealand, taking a deep dive into the lives of dynamic and visionary people around the world.

We'll be showing this for the first time at a special pre-conference screening prior to the Water New Zealand Stormwater Conference and Expo in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.

Water New Zealand is pleased to support this beautiful film, which will show that every one of us can be part of building a new future where water always wins.

Tuesday, 14 May, Soundings Theatre, Te Papa, 5.15 pm for pre-screening welcome drinks. Event sponsored by GHD. Go to our website stormwaterconference.org.nz/our-blue-world/ for tickets and more information

OUR BLUE WORLD PARTNERS: WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION, GRUNDFOS, PROCTER AND GAMBLE, AB INBEV, SCIENS WATER, BLUETECH RESEARCH, WATER.ORG, WWF, IMAGINE H20, XPV WATER PARTNERS, YOKOGAWA.

Keith Davis, a legend in water science, died in March at the age of 91. His wife Shirley passed away just 13 days earlier.

A stalwart of Water New Zealand from its earliest days, Keith was a foundation member of the NZ Water and Wastes Association. He served as secretary, treasurer, acting chair, and even editor of this journal during his 25 years with NZWWA. He also drafted the first set of rules for the New Zealand Sewage and Industrial Wastes Association back in 1957.

He acted as an advisor to local authorities on waste disposal matters and worked extensively with legal and engineering professionals on water and waste related issues. He drafted consent conditions for water rights and water classification standards for Wellington Harbour and was a regular expert witness before the Planning Tribunal (now Environment Court) on waterrelated appeals.

There is no doubt that Keith has made an indelible mark on the industry here. His hands

on approach and technological expertise made him a formidable asset for the sector.

After completing a Diploma in Chemistry at Seddon Technical College in 1953, he started his career with a job as a chemist’s assistant with the Auckland Metropolitan Drainage Board. It was here he first encountered fluoridation and the hysteria that surrounds it. The fluoridation of water supplies became, in his words, a ‘favourite topic’.

From its introduction in the mid 50s, fluoridation was under attack. A big issue was that fluoride supposedly accumulated in the

body. In a top-secret project, Keith was to test exactly that.

He made up and verified the strength of a one-part-per-million sodium fluoride solution and drank about a litre of it a day for five days, taking urine samples and testing them to see if there was any fluoride present. The results showed that, of the fluoride ingested, about 70 percent of it was excreted within about three hours of ingestion.

When he was profiled in Water in 2016, Keith admitted the whole programme would now be considered primitive, but said his findings were checked by a government analyst who concurred with his interpretation of the results.

Another such example came a few years later in the 1960s when Keith determined the weed problem in Lake Rotorua was mostly caused by farming, not sewage, as was the popular belief at the time. He received a paltry £600 for his work and the results were pooh-poohed. Years later, and at a cost of many millions of dollars, a study confirmed his findings.

In 1968-71 he carried out a pollution study of the Whanganui River and industrial wastes for the then Wanganui City Council in his role as

Keith Davis Integrated Ultrasonic Water Meters

research scientist and project manager for Worley Downey Muir and Associates. His son Grant recalls going around the city with his father, collecting circular graphs from flow stations monitoring the outlets into the river.

“Looking into the Whanganui River above the two freezing works’ direct outlets into the river was quite gruesome, as various chunks of meat and fat would bob in the bright red flow before thinning in the river flow,” he says. “I’m surprised we were ever allowed to swim at Castlecliff Beach.”

From 1974 to 1990 Keith worked for the Wellington Regional Water Board/Wellington Regional Council. Here, he was responsible for all aspects of water supply and waste disposal, and general water management, including the hydrological network and Hutt Valley artesian water supply system.

He retired in 1991, and promptly took up a position as a distant learning tutor for the Open Polytechnic in Lower Hutt and laboratory tutor at the Central Institute of Technology in Upper Hutt.

He had already had some previous experience as a tutor and was good at it, as

the students enjoyed the anecdotal stories he told to back up the theory.

Keith was a big believer in education being the key to improving the water sector performance, saying students should learn about water treatment, waste treatment and disposal rivers and lakes from an intermediate or secondary school level.

“Children of today are the adults of tomorrow and this is why it is important that education regarding the environment is important right now,” he wrote in a note to Water New Zealand a number of years ago outlining his thoughts on how to improve water sector performance.

He also wrote that he believed there should always be a distance between politicians and technical advisers, saying “millions of dollars have been wasted in unnecessary involvement in decision making by councillors that should be best handled at a staff level”.

Right up to the very end, he was still actively interested and engaged in water, writing notes on calcium carbonate saturation while in his hospital bed.

The Backflow Group Committee wishes to acknowledges the passing of Mike Devine, who we recently lost due to illness.

A career plumber and business owner, Mike was a quiet, calm and compassionate person.

Over the years Mike developed a passion for protecting human life, and potable water networks and systems with best practise plumbing. His vast experience has been amassed from many years in the plumbing industry, during which he kept up with the trends and legislation relevant to business.

The passion Mike had was always evident. One way that he demonstrated this was that he self-funded his committee involvement, including travel to committee meetings and conferences.

Mike was a dedicated and knowledgeable member of the Backflow Group Committee for many years and provided a cross connection perspective from the plumbing industry. He always contributed to the committee discussions with critical comment based on his wide experience and practical knowledge.

He will be greatly missed.

After the floods: looking backwards to go forward Preconference Workshop

What have we learnt from the floods and how can we do things differently?

This workshop brings together stormwater professionals to share learnings around flood response, planning for resilience, adaptation and climate change across Aotearoa New Zealand. Participants will have the opportunity to brainstorm lessons learnt and ideas of the future.

Venue: Tākina Convention Centre

Date: Tuesday, 14 May 2024

Time: 1pm – 5pm

Go to our website to find out more and register stormwaterconference.org.nz/preconference-workshop/

It ’s live - online now

Check out our new online Water Director y. I t’s a fresh look and much improved online platform that has been in the development stage for some time.

We k now things change fast and we’re all seeki ng ways to get our work done more quickly and serv ices and suppliers you need will be a big help.

Better than google

Better than google

Yes, there is google, but when you are looking for as many providers as possible in one place, it’s not

The new directory platform brings together a range of suppliers so you can compare and connect with part replacements.

Connect ing people across the sector is a key role for our organisation. organisation so we are delighted to bring you this updated resource.

Tell us what you think and be in to win a free registration to one of our major conferences – worth up to $1500!

Other benefits conversation that others can contribute to.

Be seen

Be seen

For companies supplying products or ser vices to the water sector, this is a dedicated resource for you to

Water New Zealand has been bringing suppliers together for more than 30 years and we’re excited to

Water New Zealand has been bringing suppliers together for more than 30 years and we’re excited to launch this big step forw ard in our directory evolution.

But don’ t just take our word for it, jump online and take a look

Expertise based on experience

Noel Roberts has spent many years providing advice and his expert opinion to the water industry as part of his role as technical advisor at Water New Zealand. Sadly, for the industry body, Noel is off to travel the world. Before he departed, he spoke to Mary Searle Bell about his career.

Noel got his first taste of the water industry as a child, when he used to go to work with his father who was building drinking water plants around the lower North Island.

“He was involved in a lot of different treatment plants – I remember as a kid unpacking parts for the Waikanae water treatment plant.

“Notably, Dad designed and commissioned Te Marua water treatment plant in Upper Hutt and ended up running it for many, many years – until I took over in fact. Between me and my father, we have accumulated over 60 continuous years in the water sector.”

However, Noel’s career didn’t begin in water. When he joined the workforce, he started out as an electrical fitter, working for the Hutt Valley Energy Board on substations and high voltage

lines for the likes of Transpower.

“I knew I didn’t want to spend my career on the tools, so after a couple of years I left the Energy Board and went to NZ Rail as an electronics technician. Railways have very interesting jobs, and lots of toys to play with!

Noel had a number of big achievements while at NZ Rail – he investigated why the locomotives on the Palmerston North to Te Rapa line weren’t that reliable.

“I worked out what was wrong, while at the same time collecting evidence to prove faulty manufacturing, resulting in an out of court settlement. One project was to put speedos in diesel locomotives, which, for some unknown reason, came without them.

“I was also involved with modifying the first New Zealand locomotive to make it

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remote control for shunting, as well as a project upgrading diesel locomotives to get more power from them.

“Trains are proper engineering!”

After two-and-a-half years of enjoyable but not very well paid work, Noel left to join the Wellington Regional Council as an electricial technician in its bulk water department.

“Interestingly, there are a lot of synergies between rail and water – one, you put electricity in and freight moves on rails, on the other, you put electricity in and ‘freight’ – water – moves through pipes. Lots of tons involved with both.”

In this role, Noel was part of a team managing the Wellington City Council contract and, while there, was heavily involved in installing new remote monitoring equipment so they could more reliably know what was happening where, and when.

“One

company for your next liquid storage tank project.”

“Prior to this, we were using ‘pip sticks’ to monitor reservoir levels – you’d dial up the reservoir and count the pips to work out how much water was there (20 was overflowing and one was empty). By changing to remote monitoring, we started getting a lot more information, which was more reliable, for a lot less effort.”

Noel was happily doing his job until one year, when he didn’t get his annual bonus because the water quality target wasn’t reached. Up to this point, he had no idea about water quality or that his salary was tied to it.

“I thought I should get involved as it affected my pay!

“I got my C, B, and A water treatment qualifications and, once I understood what water quality was about, I set up automated control systems that were more reliable and robust to control and monitor the quality of the water.

“I ended up doing a lot of automation qualifications – to the point I could say I was an automation engineer.”

More than this though, Noel’s inquisitive mind ensures he does all he can to understand an issue thoroughly, to the point he also studied Microsoft engineering and databases so he

fully understood the robust computing side of control systems.

“As things progressed, I moved from control systems to also looking after two of the four water treatment plants in the region, with dad looking after the other two.

“When the organisation was restructured in 2011, dad retired and I ended up with the operations manager role looking after all bulk water for the region.

“In 2014 Wellington Water was formed and I became the chief advisor treatment and optimisation, a long title but the role involved still looking after the technical aspects of the water treatment plants, the many pump stations, and three waters control systems across the region, and one wastewater treatment plant.”

After two-and-a-half years with Wellington Water he decided to move on and so went for an interview for the technical manager role with Water New Zealand. Serendipitously, it was scheduled for the same day as the Havelock North Campylobacter outbreak.

“I had the interview on the Friday, and on the Monday, I was up in Hastings with Rob Blakemore providing assistance to the council.”

Noel says he’s had a lot of change throughout his career, working in many different roles

before getting into management and he believes this is what makes him particularly good at what he does.

“I’m different from most engineers – most are civil or chemical engineers or scientists. I have a much more practical background and because of this my knowledge is broad – I specialise in a number of areas.”

But things are changing once again for Noel – he’s handed in his resignation to Water New Zealand and is off to be “an international man of mystery”.

“I’ve always lived in Wellington and it’s time for me to check out the rest of the world. A friend and I have sold up, put our few remaining assets in a lock up, and, as of the first of May, we’re gone.”

The pair will be travelling until January next year at the very least, shorts, t-shirts, and beaches are on the itinerary, from southwest Australia to Mexico, America to Europe.

“I’ll miss Water New Zealand. I’ve loved my time there. I’ve enjoyed being the glue –connecting people with problems to people with expertise and answers.

“I’ve worked in rail, power, and even dabbled in the telco sector, but the most passionate people are in the water sector. They are fantastic people and very supportive of each other. It’s a great industry.”

Going viral

Wellington-based virologist Joanne Hewitt was selected as a finalist in the Wellingtonian of the Year Awards 2024 for her work at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) around the research and development of enteric viruses in the environment. The results of her wastewater monitoring for Covid were the leading story in the news all too often in the past few years. By Mary Searle Bell.

English-born Joanne grew up in Warrington, a town halfway between Liverpool and Manchester in the northwest of England. She says that from a young age she was always really interested in medicine and diseases, wanting to be a nurse or a doctor when she grew up.

“I was always fascinated by how the body worked. But later, I became even more interested in the things you couldn’t see, and by the time I was leaving high school, I decided I wanted to study microbiology and work in a laboratory in a hospital.”

To that end, she chose to do a science degree in biology and chemistry at Nottingham Trent University. In her first job in a hospital laboratory, she trained initially in general microbiology, looking at bacteria, before moving to the virology section.

“As soon as I started in virology I knew I had found my niche. I was learning skills that I found a lot more interesting, and it was a lot less smelly!”

After a couple of years, she undertook a master’s degree in biomedical science, specialising in virology, while still working full time in the medical laboratory.

A few years later, when her husband got a new job in Birmingham, she moved with him and began working as a research technician in a cancer research lab, looking at viruses associated with cancer, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a ubiquitous virus best known for causing glandular fever but which is also associated with Burkett lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and gastric and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

“While I was working there, we took a holiday to New Zealand and when I got here, I felt like I had come home. We decided to emigrate. My husband secured a job in Wellington so that’s where we settled.

“We moved into a house in Porirua, and I distinctly remember driving past ESR one day and thinking, that’s where I want to work. Not long after, the perfect job for me came up and I was employed as a senior technician in December 1997.”

When she began, she was doing a lot of work around norovirus, undertaking research around shellfish safety and providing outbreak norovirus surveillance information to the Ministry of Health.

“Over the years I slowly worked my way through the ranks, moving up to where I am now, a science leader, leading a team of scientists and technicians.”

Along the way she found time to complete a PhD, with the University of Auckland, on viruses in the environment and food, while still working full time at ESR.

“After all these years, I’m still working with norovirus along with other enteric viruses.

“When Covid-19 arrived on the scene in 2020, we worked out that through the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, it was possible to detect Covid in a population. The beauty of this is it’s cost effective, bias free, and not reliant on people having to go to the doctor, for example”.

“Over 20 years ago, we had carried out environmental (wastewater) testing for poliovirus as part of a World Health Organization programme around elimination of the virus. We had also recovered viruses including norovirus and other enteric viruses from wastewater, so this concept was not completely new for us.

“The difference was that Covid was transmitted via the respiratory route, and not by the faecal-oral route”.

“Wastewater testing came into its own globally and in New Zealand with the pandemic. Here, it was a big part of the elimination strategy. We had to employ more people to cover the volume of work, and although stressful at times, I was very proud to be involved.

“The work is still ongoing but is now focused more on trends and variant detection – it’s just no longer talked about by Ashley Bloomfield or Jacinda Ardern on TV on a daily basis!”

Joanne says wastewater surveillance for all important pathogens is essential.

“It gives us a good idea of what is circulating and/or emerging, and is useful when other surveillance systems may not be ticking all the boxes.”

As well as Covid-19 and polio, currently ESR is assessing the usefulness of wastewater surveillance for other viruses such as influenza A and B viruses and RSV. For several months, ESR also tested for the monkeypox virus that causes mpox, to assess how useful that was for its surveillance.

“It’s something that can be started and stopped depending on need, as in the case of mpox. Additionally, one sample can be tested for multiple different viruses including where necessary going back in time and testing historical samples that are stored in freezers.

“I’m amazed at how effective it is – we showed that it can pick up one infected person with Covid in a town of 90,000. Wastewater samples can give you a really good idea of the spread of a virus at a regional and national level.”

Joanne says there are a number of ethical questions around wastewater monitoring that the team frequently asks itself.

“While we can test for most targets, should we be testing? Are the results useful in terms of public health? Will surveillance results change people’s behaviour?

“We have to ensure the data is used in a way that can be trusted; and that it is not manipulated in any way or used in a way that may stigmatise a community.

“However, wastewater testing is generally very well received by the public. They know it’s not biased nor targeted, and the results can be trusted. And community trust is important. People don’t want to feel like they’re being spied on.”

She says there are some limitations though, as not everyone is on the wastewater system. Smaller and more remote communities are less likely to be connected and be on septic tanks instead.

“That being said, septic tank users are not always fully excluded from wastewater testing as they may often travel to town for work or school and use public facilities that are reticulated.”

There are also limitations around the pathogens too, says Joanne, as the testing sensitivity to some is not as high, or the disease does not circulate unnoticed, as in the case of poliovirus.

“If we look at measles, for example, the value of wastewater surveillance is comparatively low due to the fact most people with measles have obvious symptoms, and those need to be managed quickly to prevent spreading to others. Wastewater testing may not offer any additional benefits over regular surveillance activities.

“There were initial questions around how successful in wastewater testing for ‘non-enteric’ viruses, such as mpox, would be, and what levels could be expected.

“For mpox, in addition to shedding DNA in faecal material, it is also shed from skin cells that also end up in wastewater through showering. This factor was important for the success of wastewater surveillance for mpox and can be used to inform public health responses.

“The flu is another one – in addition to shedding in faeces, tissues that people have used to blow their nose may be flushed down the toilet, and so can be picked up in wastewater.”

After over 25 years at ESR Joanne is still loving her work.

“It’s not just a job – it’s more like a hobby, but I get paid for it.

“In 2022, a couple of unrelated locally acquired cases of hepatitis A were reported. Virus sequencing showed the viruses were identical, and along with an epidemiology investigation, the link to consumption of frozen berries confirmed. Subsequent cases followed – all with the same sequence. I love that sort of thing – it’s like solving a mystery.

“We also are able to carry out lab work to help investigate outbreaks associated with the consumption of virally contaminated foods, including testing shellfish for norovirus to ascertain whether they are safe to eat or not.”

Joanne leads and “hopes to inspire” the next generation of environmental and food virologists.

“I have a team of people working with me, most a lot younger than me, and my job involves supporting them as much as possible in their career.

“There’s so much more we can do in this space – the world is our (norovirus-free) oyster.”

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A champion of freshwater science retires

A freshwater scientist, Paul Champion, whose work helped protect internationally important lakes, has retired after decades of award-winning research in biosecurity, ecology, and conservation. The NIWA researcher is well known for his work in aquatic weed detection, threats to endangered freshwater and wetland plant species, and identifying the human impact on aquatic environments.

Councils, consultants, commercial companies, and students have used Paul’s expertise and research to inform policies, reports, and management plans for freshwater environments. But the Hamilton man says it is his involvement in long-term research into the condition and status of the Northland lakes which stood out the most over three decades of work.

“The lakes in Northland are unique. Some areas are not intensively farmed and so the water quality is relatively good. There are quite a few water bodies that still have native submerged vegetation with no introduced aquatic weeds.”

The lakes are of national and international significance because they feature a large proportion of the country’s warm, lowland lakes with good water quality and ecological condition, many of them being dune lakes. Their surrounding wetland margins support endemic endangered species providing the only known habitat, or the national strongholds for a range of biota.

Surveys of the lakes were completed in the early 1980s. NIWA repeated those surveys in the early 2000s, with annual surveys from 2004 to date.

“Based on those surveys, we developed a lake strategy in 2012 for the Northland Regional Council.”

The strategy prioritises lakes for protection, surveillance for biosecurity threats, ecological health monitoring and recommendations for management.

“NIWA now monitors more than 100 lakes in Northland so we can look at trends in the vegetation, risks of invasions and water quality.

“We’ve had success in lake-wide eradication of invasive aquatic plant species while sustaining good populations of threatened plants.”

The research resulted in a coordinated approach from the regional council, along with seven iwi to protect and enhance the lakes.

Other agencies involved include DoC, MfE and MPI.

Paul arrived in New Zealand from the UK in 1980, looking for opportunities to grow his career. He soon found one at the University of Waikato, working as a botany technician, which included looking after the university’s herbarium.

That was the beginning of his education on New Zealand’s native and introduced plant species which he built on in the following years.

From 1988-1994, he worked as an advisory officer for aquatic plants at Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), Quality Management (now AsureQuality).

“The role at MAF involved coordinating freshwater weed eradication programmes around the country, so very much field based.”

NIWA formed in 1992 and Paul was contracted to work on wetland research.

He accepted a full-time scientist job with NIWA in 1994, specialising in aquatic plants. He was programme leader for freshwater biosecurity from 2015-19 and since then had been working as principal scientist for freshwater ecology up to his retirement at the end of 2022.

“We focused on problem solving, trying to provide research which came up with solutions.

“That has not changed much. We had a lot of independence in those days, but I guess as an organisation grows, you must have more structure in the way you work; that’s one thing that has changed.”

Notable research included designing an aquatic weed risk assessment model for New Zealand. It is used by MPI and was adopted by agencies in Australia and the US.

He developed a plan to manage plants in the aquarium and pond plant trade which is used by MPI to assess plants to be banned from sale and distribution (the National Pest Plant Accord). He also developed guidelines for regional councils to manage aquatic and wetland weeds.

The biggest change he has seen during his time at NIWA is the use of technology.

“I am thinking particularly about the work NIWA freshwater ecologist Daniel Clements is doing around remote detection of aquatic weeds, using autonomous boats on lakes.

“That is going to be a game changer as far as being able to check a large underwater environment.”

Paul says expertise in aquatic biosecurity will be in demand even more in the coming years.

“We have new freshwater policies that are putting a focus on protecting species and their environments.

“And there are always new weed and pest incursions, new finds of threatened species. The interaction between the environment and organisms is complicated, and you must be pragmatic in your approach.”

Paul has won awards for his work in botany, aquatic plant management and freshwater biosecurity and has been involved in many groups devoted to freshwater ecology.

In his final year at NIWA, he wanted to give back to others working in the freshwater science field. He ran a series of native plant and aquatic weed identification workshops for regional council staff, consultants, and students around the country.

It was one way of handing over his knowledge to the next generation of researchers and as Paul still works for NIWA on a casual basis, he can continue to share his knowledge.

Paul Champion

Enabling investment: Is the water sector innovative enough to try something different?

Finding the right funding to fix our massive infrastructure gap will be key to ensuring a sustainable water future, writes Brad Tiller. Brad is a senior water resources consultant with Tonkin +Taylor and Stormwater Group committee member. He is facilitating a keynote panel discussion at the Stormwater Conference, delving into how we can enable investment through sustainable finance.

In the first of this two-part series, Brad explores alternative funding sources that could be used to help bridge the water infrastructure funding gap. In part two, to be published in the next edition, he will look at market-based mechanisms, and innovative impact finance and delivery models to improve infrastructure efficiency and community outcomes.

We haven’t got the money, so we’ve got to think’. That was Sir Ernest Rutherford infamously describing his team of pioneering scientists around the time they successfully split the atom. When I think of our water sector, I wonder if this should be our mantra to address the water infrastructure investment crisis we face.

But are we still a nation of thinkers courageous enough to try something different, or are we resting on our laurels and getting a bit soft?

Despite not splitting the atom, we are certainly splitting hairs over where the necessary funds to pay for water infrastructure comes from. Ratepayer, taxpayer, or water service customer-funded, these are broadly the same group of people – so let’s just get on with it.

Common sense is not very common

This isn’t an opinion piece complaining about the water infrastructure crisis, or how we’ve got here; it’s about looking forward and tackling the big issue – where else could the money to solve it come from?

In recent months, there has been strong industry rhetoric that

Brad Tiller

we’re becoming a nation that is good at talking about issues, but not really solving them. I often wonder if our reputation for bold problem-solving, fueled by our isolation and innovative spirit, has faded.

We certainly and proudly aim to lead the world in water management through indigenous values set out under the concept of Te Mana o te Wai; but I think we need to equally examine whether our financial innovation that actually enables this aim is relative to other forward-thinking nations.

As an industry are we dynamic, innovative and courageous enough to address challenges such as increased storm severity and frequency; historic funding deficits and policy changes, while simultaneously increasing resilience against floods and mitigating further water quality degradation?

Common sense is using the money we do have, instead of borrowing more. We are a rich country with ample sovereign wealth, so why aren’t we drawing on those funding sources as opposed to burdening ourselves with more international debt?

The water infrastructure investment crisis we now face is of a

Graph 1 - Infrastructure investment efficiency. Source: New Zealand Infrastructure Commission - Te Waihanga analysis.

national scale, yet the burden has been lumped onto local councils to source it themselves. Surely there is a more effective, novel alternative.

History

doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes

It is obvious to many that land development cannot continue to fund the investment required, as the majority of cost our councils face is addressing aged assets, which have suffered from decades of underfunded renewal programmes and are merely keeping up with current levels of service targets.

We have developed complex procurement models for fairness, but they often hinder bold decision-making and the pace of delivery.

Our councils’ debt borrowing rules also stifle creativity, leading to no one making bold decisions anymore and over-analysis paralysis. In contrast, Australia’s infrastructure sector is more adept at innovative solutions and efficient infrastructure delivery models. Despite valuing democratic processes, sometimes decisive action is necessary.

It had good intentions, but the previous government’s Three Waters Reform will likely be remembered as a poorly marketed piece of legislation perceived by many practitioners (actually in the industry) as a missed opportunity set up to fail.

In generalist terms, the perception was the reform would lead to a change of ownership and councils losing control, and increased regulation and a shift toward co-governance with iwi.

The key message should have been around debt, but we don’t like to talk about it. Amongst the plethora of financial jargon, unless you were an economist, accountant, or lawyer, it certainly was hard for the laymen to understand at times and subsequently, it was those laymen that voted it out.

Now a different shade of grey, the water entities – now councilcontrolled organisations (CCOs) – are required to choose partners based on their attributes, much like standing against a brick wall in the school yard at lunchtime, brutally waiting to be chosen for a sports team.

Undoubtedly some councils will be left behind, which in most cases are the ones that need the most help. So, while the details and name of the water reform changes, I feel that events we’ve already experienced will continue to recycle.

If economies of scale are achieved, CCOs can then apparently ‘self-source’ finance to increase the level of debt required to fund water infrastructure upgrades. But what does this mean? Where does this debt actually come from?

Generally speaking, it means we borrow from overseas debt markets under the watchful eye of the Local Government Funding Agency, but like any loan, it is subject to interest rate fluctuations.

What’s more important, returns or resilience?

I don’t come from a finance background; however, I have learnt to embrace capitalism to better understand how investment decisions are made and to explore how, when used sustainably, those decisions can enable better outcomes.

Perhaps I’m just impatient or idealistic, but I often think our financial sector is too focused on investing for wealth generation and not investing in resilience against climate change and natural disasters. After all, these things we call ‘the economy’ or ‘financial markets’ are merely a subset of much larger uncontrollable forces at play in the natural world; for instance, financial assets like Auckland airport being exposed during heavy rainfall resulting in massive economic disruption.

In the case of water infrastructure, it certainly doesn’t seem that our financial innovation to deliver required upgrades is scaled to the increasing energy of our climate. With the IPCC recently indicating that each degree of warming will lead to approximately seven percent more water vapour, resulting in heavier rain bursts, the next 20 years are critical to safeguard our communities amidst uncertainty.

Financial institutions such as insurance companies are increasingly becoming exposed to instability of weather events, yet local councils are unfairly lumped with funding the clean-up from flood events with ratepayers’ money.

Contrary to popular belief, our infrastructure investment, as a proportion of GDP, is similar to other average highincome countries (about 4.5 percent). The difference however, according to the 2021 New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga report, is our ‘efficiency’. We seem to get less value from our infrastructure spending than most other developed countries.

Overall, the economic return for every dollar spent for us lies in the bottom 10 percent of high-income countries (illustrated by Graph 1). Given our investment levels are in line with other developed countries, this suggests that we might have an efficiency gap, rather than an investment gap. So, what can we do about it?

Separating project selection from re-election

The 2021 Te Waihanga report goes on to say “spending more money does not necessarily lead to useful, high-quality infrastructure if project selection processes do not prioritise value for money, or if delivery agencies have poor incentives to control delivery costs.”

Value for money is often disregarded in public infrastructure investment decision-making in favour of vanity projects to benefit existing or attract new voters in key electorates. Countries that experience election to election swings in infrastructure investment are likely to be less efficient, as stop-start investment patterns make it difficult to build capability and capacity to deliver efficiently. Sound familiar?

The graph above compares the efficiency of infrastructure investment in high-income countries.

Let’s move the ambulance

While funded locally, flood protection schemes, as an example, don’t just protect local assets. The total estimated national annual benefit of current flood protection schemes highlighted in a report by Tonkin + Taylor in 2018, is a phenomenal $11 billion each year. This includes protection of crown assets owned by central government such as roads, railways and telecommunications.

The consequences of not providing preventative capital to fund critical flood protection works across the country just isn’t an option. It seems a missed opportunity that public and private insurers aren’t investing in natural hazard mitigation projects to avoid one-off "after the fact" recovery payouts.

The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) is our compulsory accident insurer with $47 billion of funds under

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management as of June 2023. In 2021, ACC lent $90 million to a huge private irrigation scheme in Canterbury which during the 2022-2023 season supplied 173 million cubic metres of water –almost twice the capacity of Auckland’s water storage dams – to just 380 properties.

Unbeknown to many, ACC has also set up a $100 million ‘climate change impact fund’ which, to date, has invested in a solar farm developer and a company that extracts protein from crops like lucerne and oats, offering farmers a commercially viable means of reducing their carbon footprint.

As a crown entity I would argue that these types of investment aren’t equitable or essential, especially when compared to the health, safety and well-being outcomes that could be achieved for hundreds of thousands of at-risk Kiwis living in flood plains and/ or drinking unsafe water if the money was allocated differently.

A few hundred million dollars could provide effective injury prevention that would benefit ACC such as stormwater maintenance and urban stream swim educational programmes, helping to fund the removal of forestry slash in flood prone areas, or funding water treatment plants to prevent sickness.

Isn’t the tangible, and immediate health, safety and wellbeing for humans more important than solar panels and carbon farming?

Can KiwiSaver be our saviour?

As we recover from the financial hangover caused by the pandemic, it is abundantly clear that the countries who bounced back best were financially independent and more self-sufficient to withstand adversity.

We have several private KiwiSaver schemes with billions of

Left: Graph 3 - NZ SuperFund investments as of June last year. Source: Guardians of New Zealand superannuation annual report 2023.

Right: Graph 4 - This illustrates the actively invested asset allocation over time by the NZ Super Fund. Source: Guardians of New Zealand superannuation annual report 2023.

dollars available to invest in water infrastructure, but there is no mechanism for struggling local councils to access it. Collectively, our national KiwiSaver fund pushed through $100 billion at the end of 2023, but at times I think this vast pool of wealth is underutilised to build a modern and resilient country.

Ask anyone in the water sector and they will proudly know that most of our energy production is from hydro (57 percent). Despite it being a softer consenting environment mid-century, we have greatly benefited from those decisions, but we ran up large external deficits to make it happen.

Now a rich country, why don’t we widen the pool of available capital that already exists in our own country instead of acquiring more foreign credit and interest rate hikes? Direct investment into water infrastructure for Kiwis, by Kiwis.

Other countries with enormous sovereign wealth, like Norway and Singapore, have used it to transform their nations by channeling it into economy-boosting infrastructure projects like public transport and modern utilities.

KiwiSaver fund managers, however, channel the majority of our savings into bank deposits, government bonds, and shares of global companies listed on overseas share markets. Based on the promising forecasted growth illustrated in Graph 2, surely there is capital available to help pay for urgently required water infrastructure?

NZ Super Fund to the rescue?

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZ Super Fund) is a state-owned sovereign wealth fund set up to partially pre-fund the future cost of superannuation. Now valued at $65 billion, it invests the government’s money to grow it over the long term to make future superannuation costs more affordable.

Could this be the champion to convince the Government to allow public capital to finance water infrastructure in return for stable, guaranteed, inflation-adjusted returns?

NZ Super Fund’s participation could even depoliticise publicprivate alliances to deliver water infrastructure paid for by revenue bonds, long-term leases to the government, or targeted rates. Why? Because it belongs to everybody.

An example are revenue (or utility) bonds; debt backed by revenues from a project, rather than by ratepayers more generally. For example, a council issuing a bond to the private sector to build a new wastewater plant, with the investors being paid back by the customers that benefit from that network.

If you want to future proof an economy, it starts at the ground level – it starts with infrastructure.

Sure, investing in capital markets (the trade of stocks, bonds,

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currencies, and other financial assets) plays a vital role in supporting the growth and productivity, but are we too focused on investing into other countries and not our own?

Graph 3 shows the actual portfolio composition of investments made by the NZ Super Fund, with only one percent invested into infrastructure.

Whilst infrastructure is commonly seen as essential, the NZ Super Fund 2023 annual report describes infrastructure as “an asset class that provides good opportunities to improve the sustainability profile of our portfolio”. Sustainability profile? Surely our sovereign wealth fund sees infrastructure as being more than just an opportunity to ‘green’ their portfolio by investing in cleaner energy projects?

We need a paradigm shift

Despite our country having more money than Sir Ernest Rutherford could ever fathom, we still have to think about how we get the most out of it.

As examples, there is collectively right now $200 billion across NZ Super Fund, KiwiSaver and ACC. In 10 years, there is forecasted to be $400 billion in KiwiSaver funds alone.

I’m not saying that we drain these funds to pay for water infrastructure, I’m merely proposing that even a small percentage coupled with central government spending could be invested to achieve an immediate step change in water infrastructure

delivery over the next 30 years.

After all, these sovereign funds amassed phenomenal wealth over the past 30 years, which ironically was when returns on infrastructure spending decreased in proportion to population growth. Despite this, our National Government Debt officially reached $165 billion in December 2023, and it is expected to increase by another $10-15 billion to fund further tax cuts.

Latest estimates indicate our water sector requires between $125 and $185 billion over the next 30 years. A modest 2.5 percent investment spread across these funds could equate to $5 billion per year – ample to meet the official estimates required.

Despite it being quite boring, given the socio-economic benefits that critical infrastructure such as water provides, I’m sure our national productivity and standard of living for all Kiwis will increase. It surely would also alleviate the pressure on local government given their constrained current financing tools and allow them to still deliver other vital services.

The time for reporting and talking has passed. The time for our sector to look at things differently, a long-term, bipartisan, co-investment approach to address the water infrastructure investment crisis we face is right now.

If you want to learn more on this, be sure to attend the ‘enabling investment’ panel at the Stormwater Conference on Thursday, May 16 in Wellington, where we bring together finance and water experts to develop this topic.

Improving the planning of infrastructure works

A national infrastructure works viewing tool allows works to be better timed to facilitate coordination and collaboration between asset owners, reducing costs and impacts to the public. By Naomi Ambrose, communications & engagement lead, National Forward Works Viewer.

It’s a familiar scene across the country: you start your commute to work and you’re immediately greeted by roadworks that have seemingly popped up overnight. “Hang on a minute,” you think to yourself, “I swear there were roadworks on this street a couple of months ago –what are they up to now?!”.

Whilst the annoyance might predispose us to exaggerate the frequency of the inconvenience, there’s probably some truth in it. Typically, we don’t get good bang for our buck when building infrastructure – a 2021 report by Te Waihanga revealed that New Zealand’s efficiency rating in New Zealand Infrastructure Commission building ranked in the bottom 10 percent among high-income countries.

While numerous factors contribute to this, some are within our control – like better coordination, collaboration, and improved maintenance programmes – which could curtail unnecessary expenditure, asset damage and improve lifecycle, and soothe an irked public. Fortunately, there’s a tool to address these challenges, and it’s set to revolutionise the industry.

The National Forward Works Viewer (FWV) was borne out of a need to coordinate the recovery programme after the Canterbury earthquakes 11 years ago. With multiple agencies working in the city and no single view of what was happening and where, the FWV was a welcome and useful tool to enable a more intentional work programme.

A simple online map, the FWV allowed users to publish their ‘when, where, why and who to contact’ for their intended works –establishing a single source of truth for all entities involved with the rebuild programme.

A study after the fact concluded that the FWV had saved an estimated $13.3 million over 18 months post-implementation by reducing clashes, enabling shared trenching, and improving customer satisfaction, event planning and contractor relations.

The tool was initially destined to be switched off but was saved by its indispensable utility. Originally owned by LINZ and then Christchurch City Council, it recently transferred hands to the newly established Digital Built Aotearoa Foundation (DBA). The purpose of DBA is simple – to be a trusted custodian of the knowledge and digital tools that helped us recover from natural disasters over the past decade.

Matt Thomas, trustee of DBA, puts it simply, “we have a duty to our communities to create enduring capabilities from the lessons and tools that help us rebuild and add resilience to our civic infrastructure”.

Through DBA, the Forward Works Viewer has supported rebuild activities in Kaikōura, and is now supporting post-Cyclone Gabrielle reconstruction on the East Coast.

So, how does it work?

Essentially, it federates data from multiple sources – work programmes held in Excel, project management and works scheduling systems, and manually added data, and presents it all on a single map in a userfriendly format for easy querying.

Published project data consists of the project name, a brief description, the start and end date, and the contact details of the project manager, as well as the project boundary on the map, colour coded by infrastructure type.

Not only that, because the data is spatial, the tool is able to identify clashes and opportunities with overlapping projects – giving users visibility and confidence of what’s happening where and when in the vicinity of their own projects. And, as it’s a map-based tool, it allows for the integration of supplementary geospatial data layers, such as cultural sites, public transport routes or protected trees – enhancing project managers’ understanding of potential impacts in the area.

No more surprises, plus the ability to coordinate with other contractors, reaps multiple benefits. By pre-emptively addressing clashes, resources can be optimised, traffic management shared, corridor space competition managed and better cost and risk estimation for project tenders. Work can be sequenced more effectively to protect and extend asset life – all leading to monetary savings, but also greatly improved sustainable outcomes.

The best way to reduce carbon expenditure in the industry is to reduce the work in the first place, and if you have to do it, coordinate it effectively. By sequencing projects in a more logical manner, you’re reducing plant movement, material use and reducing congestion from roadworks.

It’s also a great news story for communities – less disruption to their transport network, improved publicly owned asset lifespan, and less ratepayer money wasted on poorly planned projects.

The FWV is used extensively by Wellington City Council, with organisations including network utility operators, major infrastructure programmes, and contractors in the region publishing their planned works to the map. This visibility has facilitated improved coordination in the capital city.

Water projects in Karori were able to be completed prior to the kerb,

channel and planned resurfacing works. As the kerb and channel has a long life expectancy, sequencing the projects in this way enabled Wellington City Council and Wellington Water to coordinate in a way that saved money.

Designers at GHD use the FWV to regularly check for project clashes. Project director Simon Wang was able to flag to a client that the roading authority was planning on resealing a stretch of road that they’ll need to dig up to renew some stormwater pipes. This is the FWV in action – by catching these clashes early, the roading authority is able to delay the planned reseal, extending the life of the road and meaning no penalties are paid by the contractors for damaging a brand-new asset.

Longer term, it has also enabled the planning of major projects which are often 10-plus years in the future.

Project managers are able to consider how to dovetail into other projects, and pre-emptively plan for future projects by, for example, installing service conduits while the ground is open.

“We use the FWV to identify clashes with our projects – it’s alerted us to three in the last year alone” says Niall Chapman, senior project manager at Stantec. “One project clashed with an unrelated Downer project, another project would have caused traffic management issues between a Wellington Water and Wellington City Council project, and another clashed with a project from the same organisation but was being organised by a different project team.”

This highlights the stark need for a single source of truth –not only does the FWV alert users to clashes with different organisations, but it’s also useful for internal project planning too.

Moreover, the FWV serves as a robust data source for public communication. Both Queenstown Lakes District Council and Auckland Council’s customer service teams use the tool to find out what’s happening on their network and promptly address

inquiries or redirect customers as necessary.

New Plymouth District Council began using the FWV 18 months ago, subscribing to the tool after moving away from using their GIS system to coordinate works. They publish their public events to the map, as well as general maintenance and infrastructure projects, refuse collection days, sites of significance to Māori and protected trees. This means they are now able to coordinate projects effectively, manage risk and minimise public disruption.

The visibility of what’s happening has been crucial to the local utility provider, PowerCo. They regularly check the FWV to view upcoming projects from other utility providers and the council, and this has enabled them to work more closely with other entities and keep each other updated on project plans.

As we collectively turn our focus on how to fix our three waters infrastructure problems and a possible future where the entities responsible for water asset maintenance may be split from those overseeing roads, cables, structures and public events, coordination and collaboration will become increasingly vital.

Coordinating work is only one side of the coin, however. The Digital Built Aotearoa Foundation, in collaboration with Wellington City Council, is developing a prototype underground asset register. Initially tailored for Wellington, it is being built to serve at a national level, just like the Forward Works Viewer.

The business case is clear – when we can see planned works together with the location of underground assets, we can plan, engage, collaborate and optimise in a way that just hasn’t been possible before. It’s an exciting future and has the ability to supercharge the way we deliver our infrastructure projects. We might even move away from the bottom to the top 10 percent in efficiency ratings.

For more information on the Forward Works Viewer, visit www.forwardworks.org.nz.

Example of programmes and entities that can be found in the The National Forward Works Viewer (FWV).

A simple online map, the FWV allowed users to publish their ‘when, where, why and who to contact’ for their intended works – establishing a single source of truth for all entities involved with the rebuild programme.

FWV FAQs

Do I have to pay to use it?

For most organisations it’s free to use. The FWV operates on an anchor subscriber model, which is usually a council or alliance operating in the region. One subscription enables access to everyone else in the region. How is data loaded?

If your source data is held in a project management system with an API then we’ll look to access the data that way – it’s best to take it from the ‘source of truth’ as then you’ll only need to update one system. We’re also able to bulk upload programmes held in Excel or any planning software. If you don’t have spatial boundaries for your projects that’s OK – you’re able to upload your programme data and then draw boundaries in the FWV (great if you don’t have access to any geospatial software).

So you load my organisation’s data for free?

Yes – if the region already has an anchor subscriber in place, it’s free. Who can use it?

The FWV is open to any user who has a valid interest in infrastructure planning. Due diligence is carried out on all user account applications to ensure they are legitimate. How do I get access?

Sign up at www.forwardworks.org.nz. If you’d like a demo of the tool, or to become the anchor subscriber for your region, email support@forwardworks.co.nz.

Who provides data?

We encourage anyone working in, or in the vicinity of, the road corridor who may impact traffic or utility networks to publish their planned works to the FWV. Typically as a bare minimum council programmes

including three waters and transport are published, as well as major civic projects, network utility renewals, and any large infrastructure programmes in the region.

This only works if everyone uses it – so who else uses it?

Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Waitaki, Queenstown, Napier, and New Plymouth currently use the FWV. We’re about to onboard the Hawkes Bay/Gisborne region too.

Can I get data out of the FWV for my own analysis?

Yes. We have an API so you can ingest the data in the FWV into your own geospatial tool for offline analysis.

It’s good but it could be better…

We agree. We encourage you to suggest feature enhancements, and we’re continuously improving the tool – our backlog can be found at forwardworks.org.nz/development. Being owned by a foundation means that any profit is reinvested into development and additional services – if there’s something you’d really like to see but it isn’t on the backlog, please let us know.

Could you show me where underground assets are too?

Not yet – this tool is due to be launched in July and initially for Wellington only. It’ll be a test-bed for tweaks then we’ll look to roll out nationally.

What about other geospatial data?

Sure. Send it to us and we can load it into the FWV so you can see your projects overlaid with other data. We’ll eventually build a geospatial catalogue to make this process easier.

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Water woes:

Turning the tide demands long-term planning

Benjamin Franklin’s timeless adage ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’ seems an apt way of describing much of Aotearoa New Zealand’s crumbling water infrastructure. To get things back on an even keel, we should be planning for a water-lean future and taking a cue from the best of global water management practices, says WSP UK sustainability director David Symons.

Forecasts from the World Bank are sobering. The amount of water used worldwide will increase 20 percent by 2050. At the same time as demand ramps up, the availability of water is becoming more unpredictable.

A recent study showed that one third of global aquifers where there is good data are falling by over 10 centimetres a year. And there are now cities in parts of the world, such as Phoenix, where new housing is being limited because water isn›t available. Other places are seeing wild swings in water availability; periods of drought and water shortages interspersed with enormous downpours that wreak havoc on built infrastructure.

Different ways of managing water essential

In the face of such change, water companies and managers must reconsider how they distribute water resources. They should also expect a future with less water availability. This requires long-term planning due to the asset-intensive nature of water infrastructure.

If that sounds tricky, it is. Water management involves balancing a basket of environmental, social, and economic factors. While complex and often highly political, it’s crucial to strategically plan for the water needs of present and future generations.

Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique combination of relatively abundant water resources, cultural heritage, vulnerability to climate change, and variety of approaches to water management set it apart in the global context.

Overall, the country is excellently positioned to tackle water challenges, drawing on the resourcefulness, ingenuity, and adaptability of its people. Incorporating Mātauranga Māori into water planning will help foster strategies that prioritise conservation, equity, and resilience for future generations.

Recently, WSP consulted with 20 water companies globally, discovering how those who lead on water management are planning and managing their water resources for the long term. This effort yielded several important principles that our water sector can, and should, implement.

Apply future-ready thinking

Most important is creating a clear plan and understanding that the future of water management will be different. The rapid pace of change means water companies must explore non-traditional solutions to water scarcity, pollution, and deteriorating infrastructure.

Instead of diverting stormwater to prevent flooding, there’s a shift towards capturing and storing it for later use, such as replenishing aquifers. This is being explored here, with WSP working with Wellington Water on capturing floodwater for storage.

Another example is water recycling, where treated wastewater is

purified to meet drinking water standards. While there are perception and cultural challenges associated with this, many cities across the world use this technology, and have done so for decades.

Plug the leaks

We know from overseas experience that leading water companies enjoy a strong trust relationship with their customers. In some parts of the country this relationship is currently being pushed to the limit. Leaks are one of the biggest eroders of public trust. It’s challenging for a water company to convey a message of water scarcity during a drought when a large portion of treated water is lost due to leaks before reaching households.

Fixing leaks is costly but must be done. In some places, it’s considered acceptable for a percentage of treated water to leak. Whatever the number, there should be more focus on long-term planning and investment to address this issue.

Understand and empower the customer

It’s essential that water companies understand which customers are open to trying new water conservation ideas. In Cape Town, successful communication strategies during its 2018 water crisis emphasised real-time data sharing, consumer education, and fostered a collective spirit of water conservation.

To encourage water conservation, water companies should consider using water meters and innovative pricing methods. Perth, for example, uses a system where you get some water for free, but if you use more, you pay extra for each unit of water. This idea is gaining popularity worldwide.

It’s difficult to manage water effectively without using water meters. Meters help encourage people to save water. However, it’s also crucial to identify customers who may struggle to pay their bills in the future and provide support.

Water use data can be integrated with other network data for analysis and decision-making, meaning customers have information to better understand how they use water, and public and private leaks can be more quickly detected.

Success in water management doesn’t happen by chance. It requires setting clear goals and creating detailed plans to achieve them; breaking down lessons and principles into practical projects with clear governance and funding.

Long-term water management plans are essential for continuous improvement, and it’s important to learn from global best practices. The lesson for us is to make decisions that align with long-term goals. That way, the country will have every chance of achieving water selfsufficiency and sustainable supply.

Fast-Track consenting:

Will the benefits flow through to water projects?

By Ezekiel Hudspith, partner, and Hermione Kemp, solicitor, Dentons

The Fast-track Approvals Bill (FTA Bill) was introduced into Parliament on 7 March 2024 under urgency, with submissions to the Select Committee closing on 19 April 2024. The Select Committee is due to report back to the House on 7 September 2024.

The consenting process in the FTA Bill is largely modelled on the Covid Fast Track Act (CFTA) and, from an applicant’s perspective, the experience will be broadly similar.

Some key differences include a greater focus on the national and regional benefits of projects, which is likely to mean a broader range of projects are eligible; a ‘one stop shop’ approach, meaning approvals can be granted for the purposes of a range of legislation, not just the Resource Management Act (RMA); and a greater decision-making role for government ministers.

The new fast-track process offers substantial benefits to applicants, including for projects that would be a prohibited or non-complying activity under the RMA, or otherwise have a high risk of decline.

There will be no notification of applications and generally no hearings, no ‘merits’ appeals, and the developmentfocused purpose of the FTA Bill will be a pre-eminent consideration in decisionmaking.

The purpose of the Bill

The FTA Bill has a simple and focused purpose, which is to: “provide a fast-track decision-making process that facilitates the delivery of infrastructure and development projects with significant regional or national benefits”.

That language is important, because the purpose will be an overriding consideration for decision-makers, to be given more weight than ‘considerations under other relevant legislation’. In particular, it will prevail over the purpose and principles of the RMA. This means projects that are inconsistent with RMA national direction, or are even prohibited under the RMA, could be granted consent if that outcome is deemed consistent with the overriding purpose of the Bill.

In contrast, the purpose of the CFTA was to urgently promote employment

while also promoting ‘sustainable management’, and it was given equal weight in decision-making to the purpose of the RMA. So in this respect the FTA Bill is much more enabling.

Which projects will qualify for fast-tracking?

There are three pathways to use the FTA Bill process:

1. ‘Schedule 2A’ listed projects: Substantive applications for these projects can be made directly to the Environmental Protection Authority (‘EPA’).

2. ‘Schedule 2B’ listed projects: Before a substantive application can be made to the EPA, a referral application must be made to the ‘joint ministers’ (being the ministers for infrastructure, regional development, and transport (and conservation in certain cases). However, by virtue of being listed these projects will be deemed to have ‘significant regional or national benefits’, which will make the referral process easier.

3. Referred projects: Other projects that deliver significant benefits can also be referred to the fast-track process (on application) by the joint ministers, after assessment against a full list of criteria (including regional or national benefits).

Listing process

There were no listed projects in Schedule 2 of the FTA Bill as first introduced. Instead, applications for listing could be made to the Ministry for the Environment up until 3 May 2024. A

Ezekiel Hudspith, partner, Dentons

Hermione Kemp, solicitor, Dentons

‘Fast Track Advisory Group’ (‘TAG’) was tasked with considering these applications and providing independent recommendations to the joint ministers.

The joint ministers will consider the TAG’s recommendations and ultimately decide which projects are included in either Schedule 2A and 2B in the FTA Bill, after the Select Committee process.

Referral process: Eligibility criteria

In making decisions about which projects should be referred into the fast-track process, Ministers must consider:

• Whether referring the project is consistent with the purpose of this Act;

• Whether access to the fast-track process will enable the project to be processed in a more timely and costefficient way than under normal processes;

• The impact referring this project will have on the efficient operation of the fast-track process;

• Whether the project would have significant regional or national benefits; and

• Whether the application contains sufficient information to inform the referral decision.

In deciding whether a project would have ‘significant regional or national benefits’, the ministers can consider a range of further matters including (relevantly) whether the project will deliver regionally or nationally significant infrastructure, increase the supply of housing, and/or contribute to a well-functioning urban environment.

The Bill also contains a list of ‘ineligible projects’, which are unable to use the fast-track process.

Relevantly, these include projects that would occur on Treaty settlement land, Māori customary land, or a customary marine title area. Ministers also retain a discretion to decline referral where, for example, there would be significant adverse effects on the environment, or the applicant has a poor compliance record.

Expert panel process

Substantive applications for environmental approvals will be made to the EPA in

the first instance, and then passed on to an ‘Expert Panel’ who will consider the application(s) and make a recommendation to the joint ministers.

Applications will still need to include an assessment of effects on the environment, covering in substance the same matters that would be relevant under the RMA currently.

Applications cannot be either limited or publicly notified. However, the panel must invite comments on applications from people listed in the Bill. These include, for example, the relevant local authority, relevant iwi authority, land owners and occupiers, certain ministers, and anyone else the panel considers appropriate.

There is also some expectation that applicants will have consulted with affected persons and in particular iwi or hapū, given the consultation undertaken and feedback received has to be addressed in the listing or referral application, and also in the substantive application to the EPA.

The joint ministers are the ultimate decision-makers, and can either refer the panel’s recommendations back to the Panel for reconsideration, approve the project subject to any recommended conditions, or decline to approve the project.

The Bill does not include any specific timeframes for processing applications. The reported intention is for the expert panel to deliver its recommendation within six months, although ministers are able to require shorter timeframes.

Projects can only be appealed to the High Court on points of law (rather than to the Environment Court ‘on the merits’), although any declined projects can re-apply for referral. In addition, the joint ministers’ decisions will still be open to judicial review.

‘One stop shop’ approach

The Bill is framed as a ‘one-stop shop’ for consenting, and will provide one process for a range of environmental approvals, including: resource consents, notices of requirement, alterations to designations and certificates of compliance under the RMA; archaeological authorities under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere

Taonga Act 2014; concessions and other permissions under the Conservation Act 1987 and Reserves Act 1977; approvals under the Wildlife Act 1953; and comparable approvals under various other legislation (in relation to mining, aquaculture, and so on).

While the Bill does not include Public Works Act (PWA) processes as part of the ‘one stop shop’ it enables, but does not require, the Environment Court to accept a determination of the joint ministers about the consideration of alternative sites, when determining an objection to the taking of land under the PWA.

Application to three waters infrastructure projects

Based on the criteria in the Bill, most major three waters projects should be eligible to use the fast-track process.

Three waters services are generally recognised as regionally significant infrastructure, and major capital works projects (e.g. water storage lakes or reservoirs, or major flood prevention, stormwater or wastewater infrastructure improvements) will often be linked to increasing development capacity, enabling housing, or public health/ environmental benefits. In practical terms such projects will also need to be close to ‘shovel ready’, given the regime includes a maximum consent lapse period of only two years.

On the other hand, the fast-track process may be less readily applicable to the reconsenting of existing infrastructure, depending on the circumstances.

Once referred or listed, the fast-track process will offer a number of substantial benefits compared to business as usual consenting under the RMA. These include:

• Greater certainty of outcome: the Bill is deliberately set up to make it easier to have consents granted. In particular, consent will be able to be granted for prohibited activities in most cases, the section 104D gateway tests for non-complying activities will not apply, and the development-focused purpose is a dominant consideration. Public statements made by the relevant

Ministers to date also indicate it will be rare for projects to be declined, once listed or referred.

• Certainty of process: there will be no need for a hearing (although the expert panel can elect to hold one), and no risk of merits appeals.

• Generally shorter timeframes: although there are some caveats to this (discussed below), fast-tracked projects should take less time to secure consents, overall.

There may be some reluctance to make use of the fast-track process given the lack of public consultation or opportunity for comment.

Water infrastructure providers are public entities providing public good infrastructure, and value input from communities and mana whenua. Maintaining social licence and relationships is important.

In addition, using the fast-track process could also have the potential to strain relationships with mana whenua, given the conspicuous absence of any reference to treaty principles in the Bill (only treaty settlements are mentioned).

These considerations will need to be weighed up by water infrastructure

providers in deciding whether to use the fast-track process, and for which projects. However, there’s nothing to stop applicants from undertaking extensive consultation and engagement prior to lodging the applications, in order to obtain community and mana whenua feedback.

For most projects (but perhaps not all), we expect the relationship and reputational risks will be manageable. Finally, while we expect the fast-track process will generally be quicker overall, this benefit could be somewhat overstated.

We note that:

• Applying to be referred is an additional step in the consenting process with no clear timeframes (and under the CFTA it could take up to seven months to receive a referral decision from the minister). Being listed in Schedule 2A will be a definite advantage.

• The information (including environmental effects assessments) required to support a substantive application will be essentially the same as what is currently required under the RMA.

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• Given the difficulties experienced in resourcing the CFTA process, there are real questions about the capacity of the system to deal with the influx of applications likely under the new process (in terms of both EPA capacity and available Expert Panel members). It is also unclear how projects will be prioritised for access to the fast-track system.

• The lack of submission or appeal rights for affected parties may simply encourage High Court appeals or judicial review. At least initially we expect there will be fertile ground for such challenges, as Expert Panels, Ministers and the Courts grapple with the untested provisions of the new legislation (for example, in determining exactly how much weight should be given to the fast-track purpose, relative to other considerations).

Overall, we consider the fast-track process will be a net positive for the sector, and will be particularly useful where projects are urgently needed from a public health perspective and will provide clear benefits.

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Update on the year to date

By Helen Atkins

Following on from my comments in the February edition on how 2024 looks, this time I am providing an update on where some matters are at, plus a couple of references to recent cases in the water space.

Water services reform

Cabinet has agreed the next steps of ‘Local Water Done Well’, establishing the framework and transition arrangements to the new water services system. The proposed Local Government Water Services (Transitional Provisions) Bill will soon be introduced to Parliament and passed by mid-2024.

Information has been shared with council mayors and chief executives and this includes an overview of policy decisions that will be reflected in the proposed Bill.

Fast-track approvals

As noted in the article by Dentons (about fast-track consenting) on page 40, the Fasttrack Approvals Bill was introduced to Parliament for Select Committee review on 7 March.

The Bill’s focus is on establishing fasttrack legislation to increase delivery of a range of regionally or nationally significant infrastructure and development projects. If passed, a standalone fast-track Act

could become law later this year.

The Bill’s proposed ‘one-stop shop’ process will be used for resource consents, notices of requirement, and certificates of compliance under the Resource Management Act. It will also include approvals required under the Wildlife Act 1953, Conservation Act 1987, Reserves Act 1977, Freshwater Fisheries Regulations 1983, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014, Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012, Crown Minerals Act 1991, Public Works Act 1981, and Fisheries Act 1996.

The Bill includes proposals on the fasttrack application process and project eligibility; the ministers involved in assessing projects, for referral to an expert panel for evaluation; who the ministers and panels must consult with during the process; the expert panels’ role, and their members’ required expertise; which other Acts and legislation are relevant to the ‘one-stop-shop’ approval process; and provisions for Treaty of Waitangi settlements and other arrangements.

Water New Zealand has drafted a submission which can be found on the submissions section of the website. Of course there will be further opportunity for members to give feedback during the Select Committee process.

NPS-FM and other regulations

The Government is embarking on a review and replacement of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPS-FM). This process is expected to take 18-24 months and will include consultation.

In the interim, the Government wants to address concerns about how the hierarchy of obligations contained in the Te Mana o te Wai provisions of the NPS-

FM is being applied to individual resource consent applications and decisions.

• Individual resource consent applicants are being asked to demonstrate how their activity adheres to the hierarchy of obligations of Te Mana o te Wai within the NPS-FM.

• Consent authorities are applying the hierarchy of obligations in their consent decision-making.

These changes are expected to be introduced as part of a Bill amending the RMA. Of note, the Government has already extended the deadline for councils to notify freshwater plans and policy statements by three years until the end of 2027.

Speeding up Hawke’s Bay flood resistance work

A temporary law change is being proposed to make it easier to improve flooding resilience at specific sites in Hawke’s Bay following the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.

The temporary law change, in the form of an Order in Council under the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Act 2023, would make changes to the Resource Management Act to streamline the resource consenting process for flood resilience work at these specific sites.

The Order was developed in response to a request from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Recovery Agency. Public engagement on the proposed Order in Council is underway until 18 March. You can find out more on the Ministry for the Enviornment’s website.

Highly productive land proposed changes

In its 100-day plan the Government committed to reduce consenting barriers for infrastructure, housing and primary

Helen Atkins, barrister/commissioner

production. MfE is currently exploring options around the definition of highly productive land (HPL) to enable more flexibility.

Urban expansion onto HPL can already occur in certain circumstances, but officials are reviewing the NPS-HPL to consider how it could enable more ‘greenfield’ housing development.

Officials are also reviewing submissions and working on advice for Ministers following consultation on two potential amendments to the NPS-HPL. These relate to the development of new specified infrastructure (such as renewable energy generation), intensive indoor primary production and greenhouses on highly productive land (HPL).

Consultation on these two potential amendments happened in September and October last year and advice will be given to ministers on next steps in due course.

NPS for Natural Hazard Decision-Making consultation

In September 2023, the then Government launched public consultation on the proposed National Policy Statement for Natural Hazard Decision-Making (NPS-NHD). It aims to direct how decision-makers consider natural hazard risk in planning decisions relating to new development under the Resource Management Act 1991.

Over 100 submissions were received –the majority being from councils, then infrastructure providers and industry bodies, followed by Māori organisations and finally the construction and development sectors.  Submissions were also received from the banking and insurance sectors, NGOs, academics and research organisations.

A briefing based on the feedback received, which is being prepared for the Ministers for Climate Change and for RMA Reform, will seek direction from ministers on the next steps.

Work underway on second Emissions Reduction Plan

Work is underway to create the second Emission Reduction Plan. This will set out actions needed to reduce emissions to meet the emission budget for the years 2026-2030. The final plan will be

published by the end of 2024.

Related to this, updated coastal hazards and climate change guidance has been released. This technical guidance is designed for practitioners in landuse planning, resource management, building consenting, asset and flood risk management, and infrastructure planning.

'Take and use' of water consents need to be considered as a combined consent

Back in the May/June 2019 edition, I commented on a case that has now made it all the way to the Supreme Court. The original decision by Environment Canterbury (ECan) was upheld in the High Court, but rejected in the Court of Appeal. The case of Cloud Ocean Water Ltd v Aotearoa Water Action Inc [2023] 1 NZLR 475 involves Cloud Ocean Water’s appeal to that rejection.

This case involves issues arising when a resource consent to use groundwater is transferred to a new owner who wishes to use said water for a different purpose. The consent was originally acquired by a wool scouring operation and a freezing works. Two consents to ‘take and use’ groundwater were transferred to new owners, Cloud Ocean Water and Southridge, who intended to bottle water. The issue for the Court was whether the regional plan allowed the ‘take and use’ consent to be decoupled and a new use-only consent granted or whether a completely new take and use consent was required.

The Court considered whether ‘taking’ and ‘using’ groundwater can be considered separately and found that “it must mean both of these combined, not each separately”. The Court reasoned that there was nothing in the Plan suggesting that drafters envisaged take and use consents would, or should, be divisible.

The Court therefore found that ECan should have processed the application as a ‘take and use’ consent under the Plan. Cloud Ocean Water’s appeal was dismissed unanimously.

When is a wetland not a wetland?

“A Kāpiti Coast farmer was unlawfully imprisoned and lost his job – and his

partner fined $118,750 – for damaging wetlands that never existed.” (Waikato Times, 18 March, 2024)

In the case of Page & Crosbie v Wellington Regional Council [2024] NZCA 51, the Council brought 35 charges against Mr Page and Ms Crosbie relating to unlawful activities undertaken in relation to the alleged wetlands. Page served six weeks of a three-month sentence in Rimutaka Prison over Christmas 2021. In addition to a fine, Crosbie (a Police IT worker) was disciplined for bringing her employer into disrepute and lost out on a promotion and long-service leave.

All charges relate to an 11.13 hectare parcel of land in the Kāpiti District. The property had been actively farmed until approximately 2000, when the development of lifestyle properties in close proximity presaged an alternative use.

In 2019, Crosbie purchased the block with the intention of farming it as a dry stock unit. Subsequently, livestock was reintroduced to the property and extensive development work was undertaken by Crosbie’s partner, Page. This included the construction of access tracks and stream crossings, reclamation of four areas considered by the council to be wetland, and installation of water takes.

To bring the appeal, leave was granted to admit additional evidence from a senior ecologist and a senior hydrologist, because the Court concluded that the absence of any expert evidence at trial raised a real risk that a miscarriage of justice may have occurred.

In essence, after extensive consideration of the evidence, the Court concluded that the council had not proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the areas considered by the council to be wetlands were in fact, and in law (in terms of the provisions of the relevant planning documents), wetlands.

The appeal was, for the most part, allowed and the parties now have to work on some outstanding matters that the Court made determinations about.

The lesson from this case is that regulators need to be very clear about the evidential basis they are using to determine what is, or is not, a wetland. In this case there was substantial evidence that was scrutinised closely by the Court.

Is your wetland working?

A NIWA study has shown a constructed wetland absorbed up to 80 percent of key dairy farm pollutants.

Well-designed constructed wetlands are increasingly being used as a nature-based method to mitigate run-off and drainage from agricultural land.

Wetlands act as a barrier between agricultural areas and fresh water sources such as streams, rivers and lakes, offering a natural solution to reduce pollution. They can significantly soak up excess nitrate-nitrogen and other agricultural contaminants, improving the water quality exiting a wetland, and enhancing the ecology of rural catchments.

Owl Farm, a 160-hectare dairy farm at St Peter’s School near Cambridge, has a 0.34 hectare constructed wetland, which was built in 2016 as part of a wider plan to reduce contaminant loads in farm drainage that flows into the nearby Waikato River.

“We wanted to find out how well the constructed wetland was performing and that’s where we began working with NIWA,” says farm manager Jo Sheridan.

A team of NIWA freshwater scientists embarked on a four-year

project to evaluate the wetland’s capacity for nitrogen removal in groundwater. Excess levels of nitrate-N can cause toxic algal blooms, reduce oxygen, and kill aquatic life.

The Owl Farm wetland receives a mix of surface water, tile drainage and groundwater – this makes it difficult to measure inflows and assess how well the mitigation system is operating.

Collecting data on the mass of contaminants leaching into surface and ground waters is complicated by the variability of both weather and climate.

NIWA principal scientist (aquatic pollution) Dr Chris Tanner says collecting enough samples to accurately estimate what’s coming into the wetland underground, in terms of flow and concentration, and comparing that with that coming out of the wetland was time consuming and prohibitively expensive.

The NIWA team collected numerous high frequency measurements of outflows and nitrate-N during the four-year study, backed up by periodic and grab samples including over representative flow events

and used this to calibrate its model.

But what was missing, Chris explains, was the corresponding flow measurements for the diffuse underground inflows to go with them.

Although water samples were collected periodically from a well intercepting groundwater seepage, from a tile drain, and from the wetland’s outflow, these samples didn’t yield enough information to accurately characterise the relative inflows from each source.

So instead, they turned to modelling which helped them to fill in the missing piece of the puzzle.

“A more effective way of estimating contaminant loads entering and leaving the wetland complex involved collecting data (flow and contaminant concentrations), which was subsequently used to calibrate a mathematical model,” he says.

“This modelling effort, (led by Linh Hoang), allowed us to solve a previously unsolvable mystery.”

The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) catchment model was calibrated to the measured flows and contaminant loads, allowing

Build a wetland: who’s going to come?

Artificially constructed wetlands, such as the one at Owl Farm, are primarily designed and placed within catchments to improve water quality in agricultural landscapes. But another NIWA study has shown their dual benefits for biodiversity, with the constructed wetland attracting native species, kickstarting a richer more diverse on-farm ecosystem.

Across Aotearoa New Zealand, an average of around 90 percent of natural wetlands have been cleared. In Waikato, that number is even higher, with most of the rural land now dairy farm paddocks.

Study lead Dr Brandon Goeller, NIWA riparian and wetland scientist (aquatic pollution), says the study aimed to observe what flora and fauna inhabit wetlands constructed for rural water quality improvement, and identify links between their biodiversity and the habitat available in the wetlands and surrounding landscape.

“We found the constructed wetlands were useful for putting shallow vegetated and deeper open-water pond habitats back in the landscape. They provided habitat for invertebrates and fish, and places for birds to hide, nest and feed.

“Hardy native wetland plant species such as raupo, kuta, pukio, umbrella sedge, and kuawa that were planted in the wetland at Owl Farm were doing well.”

Scientists identified 113 plant, 20 bird, five mammal, 85 terrestrial invertebrates, 47 aquatic invertebrates, six fish, and two amphibian species across five Waikato constructed wetlands, including Owl Farm included in the study.

Native species made up 96 percent of the total aquatic invertebrate fauna, including dragonflies and caddisflies, but less than half of species in other taxonomic groups (birds, plants, terrestrial invertebrates, mammals, and fish).

“Species with high or fast dispersal capabilities can start using the wetlands soon after they are built. We found plenty of pūkeko, paradise shelducks and mallards, and tui when the flax was in flower.

“Creating the constructed wetland habitat just 100 metres from the Waikato River provided a pocket of habitat for native fernbirds, which was a highlight at Owl Farm.

“We also found predator species including rats, feral cats, and possums at the wetlands, creating competition and predation for native species. Management of the exotic and pest species is needed to boost the benefits to native biodiversity.

“The study confirmed that establishing the wetland has been like kickstarting a richer, more diverse ecosystem. Besides improving water quality, constructed wetlands provide ‘stepping stones’ allowing freshwater flora and fauna to re-establish and be better connected through catchments.

“Adapting wetland design and managing them to be ‘dual purpose’ will have positive impacts on biodiversity.”

Owl Farm manager Jo Sheridan with NIWA freshwater scientists Linh Hoang, Chris Tanner, Valerio Montemezzani and James Sukias who embarked on a four-year project to evaluate a wetland’s capacity for nitrogen removal in groundwater.

Brandon Goeller of NIWA in a constructed wetland.

the team to estimate inflows and contaminant loads in the three dominant wetland water sources heading into the wetland.

The wetland model was used to simulate the movement of water and contaminants through the three wetland cells, and to estimate the flow and contaminant load entering and leaving the wetland.

The model estimates indicated that the constructed wetland was very effective, removing between 55–80 percent of the inflowing nitrate nitrogen load annually (with an average of 61 percent).

Removal was greatest when flows are low, and during summer, when warm temperatures stimulate plant uptake and the conversion of nitrate to inert nitrogen gas by microbes.

Although performance reduced as water flow rates increase, even during higher-flow periods, nitrate removal was still maintained at 20–40 percent.

Chris says the linked models were able to successfully simulate the hydrological processes of the catchment and wetland.

They provided predictions of flow which aligned well with measurements taken from the well, groundwater seepage and the outflow points.

“As well as being useful to measure the performance of other constructed wetlands where it’s difficult to directly sample all inflows and outflows, a linked catchment-wetland model provides a tool for predicting the cumulative water quality benefits of wider implementation of constructed wetlands across large catchments” he says.

The effectiveness of constructed wetlands needs to be measured to determine if more widespread implementation could be an important part of an effective long-term solution to water pollution.

Similar models are being used to measure how well constructed wetlands are performing around the country.

Article provided by NIWA

Chris Tanner of NIWA takes a closer look at a wetland.

New ocean species discovered in Bounty Trough

Scientists on an expedition to the underexplored Bounty Trough, located off the east coast of the South Island, have discovered around 100 new and potentially-new ocean species.

The three-week voyage on NIWA’s research vessel Tangaroa was the first flagship Southern Hemisphere expedition for Ocean Census, a global alliance to accelerate the discovery and protection of life in the ocean founded by The Nippon Foundation and UK ocean exploration foundation Nekton.

The team of scientists from NIWA and Te Papa collaborated with experts from the UK and Australia to collect almost 1800 samples from as deep as 4800 metres underwater along the 800-kilometre-long Bounty Trough.

Ocean Census science director professor Alex Rogers, who co-led the expedition, says he’s been impressed with the sheer biodiversity of life they’ve discovered.

“It looks like we have a great haul of new, undiscovered species. By the time all our specimens are examined, we will be north of 100 new species.  But what’s really surprised me here is the fact this extends to animals like fish – we think we’ve got three new species of fish.”

Voyage co-leader NIWA marine biologist Sadie Mills says the expedition has shown the Bounty Trough is flourishing with life.

“We’ve gone to lots of different habitats and discovered a whole range of new species, from fish to snails, to corals and sea cucumbers – really interesting species that are going to be new to science.

“Ocean Census has enabled us to explore an area of deep seafloor that we previously knew little about in terms of the animals that live there.

“This partnership will not only add new species to our recently published marine biodiversity inventory, but will improve our understanding of the seafloor habitats and living geographic and depth ranges of rare species.”

A global team of scientists is working to confirm the finds at taxonomic workshops

and

Papa Tongarewa. Over three weeks from mid-March they sorted and described the specimens collected, so they can be added to the picture of the country’s marine biodiversity.

New species identified so far include dozens of molluscs, three fish, a shrimp, a cephalopod, and a new genera of coral. One find is baffling the experts.

Queensland Museum network taxonomist Dr Michela Mitchell says the voyage team initially thought it might be a seastar, a sea-anemone or zoanthid-like creature, but it has so far proven to be none of those.

“We’ve got a lot of experts here having a look who are very excited.

“We now think it could be a new species of octocoral, but also a new genus [wider grouping of species]. Even more excitingly, it could be a whole new group outside of the octocoral. If it is, that is a significant find for the deep sea and gives

Left: Two mystery specimens collected which scientists believe to be a potential new species of octocoral or a whole other new group entirely.

Below left: A potential new species of lace coral, Stylasteridae Lepidotheca.

Below: Two eelpouts new to science taken in a fish trap set in 2700 metre depth.

us a much clearer picture of the planet’s unique biodiversity,” she says.

Andrew Stewart, Curator Fishes, Te Papa, reflected on the exciting expedition and the vastness of the area explored.

“It was a privilege to collaborate with NIWA and Ocean Census. While our findings are significant, we know that we’ve barely scratched the surface of the Bounty Trough – there’s a whole other world of fauna still waiting to be discovered.”

The specimens collected will be housed in the NIWA Invertebrate Collection and National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in their Mollusca and Fish Collections.  The knowledge gained from the expedition will be included in future editions of the New Zealand Marine Biota NIWA Biodiversity Memoir, which was recently published by NIWA and represents the knowledge of biodiversity in Aotearoa New Zealand to date, currently comprised of 18,494 known living species.

Article provided by NIWA

at NIWA

Museum of New Zealand Te

PHOTO COURTESY OF SADIE MILLS, NIWA.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: REBEKAH PARSONS KING, NIWA.

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Lessons from Queenstown’s cryptosporidiosis outbreak

By Ainslie Ryder, response and resilience manager, Taumata Arowai

Queenstown’s cryptosporidiosis outbreak in September 2023 served as a reminder to the water sector of the critical importance of the initial response to a water contamination event.

National Public Health Service, Southern (part of Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora) first notified Queenstown Lakes District Council (the drinking water supplier) and Taumata Arowai of the outbreak following an increase from the seasonal norm for cryptosporidiosis cases, with a possible link to the Queenstown drinking water supply. This followed community reports of a gastro-like illness circulating in the days and weeks before.

Following an investigation into a wide range of potential sources, coordinated between the three agencies as well as Ministry for Primary Industries, Health New Zealand/ Te Whatu Ora concluded the most likely source was human faecal contamination of the Queenstown drinking water supply.

A total of 97 cases were linked to the outbreak: 76 confirmed, 21 probable, with 3 hospital admissions.

The Two Mile Water Treatment Plant in Queenstown lacked a protozoa barrier to protect against cryptosporidium. A UV disinfection unit has since been installed at the plant to limit the risk of future outbreaks.

Queenstown Lakes District Council led the operational response as the impacted drinking water supplier, working closely with its contractor Veolia. The role of Taumata Arowai is to work alongside impacted suppliers and health agencies when there is a drinking water incident that presents a serious risk to public health. National Public Health Service, Southern took on the role as the lead agency, coordinating the multi-agency response and investigating the source of the outbreak.

Taumata Arowai facilitated an interagency debrief in February 2024 with Queenstown Lakes District Council, National Public Health Service, Southern and the Ministry for Primary Industries. The aim was to highlight areas of success and improvement in the response to the outbreak.

While there were a number of lessons learned on the technical aspects of the response, a

consistent key theme throughout the debrief process was the impact of coordination and communication measures on response outcomes.

In particular, the debrief highlighted the critical importance of interagency coordination and early sharing of information in the initial response phase to ensure quick, decisive action, and to limit failure to act or duplication of effort.

The following lessons serve as a useful reminder to drinking water suppliers and the wider water sector about the importance of being prepared.

Lessons identified

Make plans before you need them. Ensure incident and emergency response plans cover not only the operational response to a water quality or quantity incident, but also identify coordination measures to communicate quickly and effectively with other responding agencies about risk factors to the supply. Coordinate, coordinate, coordinate. For larger suppliers, the Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) is a useful mechanism for coordinating an incident or emergency response. For local authority suppliers, it’s a good idea to connect with the Civil Defence Emergency Management Group to understand how CIMS can be used in a response. Use of this system reduces key person risk and provides for common terminology and ways of coordinating between responding agencies.

You know your supply the best. Be prepared to put forward local knowledge and provide information about risk factors associated with your network. Images and maps of your supply are a critical tool to build situational awareness and make timely decisions to reduce public health risks. Make sure you are prepared to provide information about your supply to support effective response decision-making. Plan to investigate. In a situation where an outbreak is observed before a source of contamination is confirmed, you will need to produce a testing and sampling plan to give the best possible chance of identifying the source of the outbreak. In the Queenstown

event, this required a combined effort between the supplier, Taumata Arowai, health agencies and a range of local and international experts, but the supplier holds primary responsibility to produce and action this plan.

Understand your community. Queenstown is not unique for its large transient tourist population. The most effective tools and channels to get the message out about consumer advisories will vary from community to community. Consider use of non-traditional media, including roadside signage, working with the business community and other groups to get the message across. Develop communication plans and consumer advisory templates ahead of time. Consider translating content to different languages to meet the needs of your consumers and ensure they have timely access to information that impacts their health and well-being.

To achieve safe water, every day for everyone, we must look across the water sector and be committed to learning from others. All drinking water suppliers and response agencies should think about their initial response actions to a water contamination event, but it is critical that as a sector we go further and document these plans in a consistent and robust way.

The water sector historically has relied on institutional knowledge to manage events that are outside the norm. However, as we learn more about drinking water incidents and emergencies, we must continue to move away from ad hoc emergency management towards a consistent mode of response that draws on coordinated plans and recognises the complexity of the risks that face drinking water supplies.

At a national level, shared operational response planning between health agencies and Taumata Arowai is underway to better define how we work together to respond to drinking water contamination events, and to identify areas where a nationally consistent approach can be adopted.

It is critical we learn lessons from each other and turn those lessons into practice in order to move forward as a sector and protect the health and well-being of our communities.

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Turning the Tap: The first steps towards water reuse

Auckland’s drinking water comes from dams, rivers and underground aquifers, so how did 37 Aucklanders unanimously recommend Watercare explore purified recycled water to meet the city’s future water supply needs?

Having recently recovered from a record-breaking drought –and knowing Auckland would need a major new water source in the 2040s – Watercare decided to try a new approach for public engagement.

Over eight weeks in 2022, Watercare and the University of Auckland’s Centre for Informed Futures, Koi Tū, teamed up to host the first citizens assembly, a focus group of 37 Aucklanders who were presented with options for meeting the city’s future water supply needs and tasked with recommending the next future water source.

Participants explored the pros and cons of each option and had conversations with a range of industry experts and stakeholders in the field.

Watercare chief customer officer Amanda Singleton says after being presented with all the facts, the assembly reached the

consensus that direct purified recycled water was the best option to ensure a drought-resilient and secure water supply for Auckland.

“Right at the beginning of this process, we committed to our assembly members that we would need a really good reason not to proceed with their recommendations.

“We know the group didn’t decide lightly, as they took their time learning about the water and wastewater industry from independent experts. They put their hearts and souls into this process to ensure they found the best solution for Auckland’s water future.”

A recommendation utilised

Embracing the assembly’s recommendation, Watercare committed to developing an extensive purified recycled water programme encompassing technical, regulatory, and community engagement aspects. As part of this initiative, Watercare has constructed a

design and construct a second plant to pilot our ability to purify recycled water to a drinkable standard.

small-scale advanced water treatment plant to pilot recycled water treatment technologies, facilitate regulatory discussions, and provide educational opportunities for stakeholders.

Watercare’s Central Interceptor tunnelling project – a $1.5 billion tunnel designed to carry wastewater and stormwater to the Māngere Treatment Plant – provided a timely opportunity to explore recycled water for use in its construction.

Watercare worked with global engineering firm Jacobs to design two recycled water treatment plants at the Māngere treatment plant.

A 500kL per day non-potable recycled water treatment train was designed and built first to produce non-drinkable recycled water for use in the Central Interceptor’s tunnelling activities, with the option to later repurpose the water for other uses.

A smaller advanced recycled water treatment train was designed and constructed alongside the initial plant to allow Watercare to pilot the technologies needed to produce drinking-water quality purified recycled water and understand the associated challenges.

Watercare recycled water manager Shannon Palmer says: “Having both a significant source of water in the treatment plant at Māngere and a large user of water in the Central Interceptor project right next to each other gave us a valuable opportunity and purpose to develop these recycled water plants.

“Fit for purpose treatment trains were selected for both plants, with processes that have been demonstrated in recycled water applications at full-scale overseas. In the absence of New Zealandspecific regulations around these applications, the advanced treatment pilot plant was designed with reference to international guidelines and regulations, including the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling.

“The larger non-potable plant takes wastewater that’s already gone through tertiary treatment and utilises additional treatment processes to make it safe for use in tunnel boring and construction.

“The additional process includes coagulation, ultrafiltration, ultraviolet disinfection, and chlorination to meet our microbial Log Reduction Values.”

Approximately nine million litres of recycled water has been used by the project to-date.

“In parallel to the construction and commissioning of the nonpotable plant, we worked with Jacobs and H2O Engineering to

“This smaller side-stream pilot plant takes approximately 30,000 litres per day of water after the ultrafiltration step – so although the plants are linked, they do operate separately and produce two different qualities of recycled water.”

Purified recycled water

Watercare’s recycled water lead Brendon Dockary notes that to achieve the quality outlined in the drinking water standards, the water taken post-ultrafiltration then passes through reverse osmosis membranes to remove contaminants.

“After the water undergoes reverse osmosis, we dose the water with a custom cocktail to remineralise the water with a mix of magnesium sulphate, calcium chloride, and sodium bicarbonate.

“Following the remineralisation, the water goes through an advanced oxidation treatment process combining high-intensity UV light and peroxide, and granular activated carbon filtration to quench any remaining peroxide, before it’s dosed with chlorine for residual disinfection. It has about 60 minutes of chlorine contact time before we take samples for testing.”

Jacobs process engineer Silvia Vlad is part of the team supporting Watercare in commissioning the advanced recycled water pilot plant and notes that it’s exciting to see this project get into motion.

“Globally, we’ve seen a wave of water providers investigating recycled water, both for drinking water and other applications, and this demonstration plant brings Watercare into that global forefront. At a time when we’re seeing well-publicised news of waterborne disease outbreaks, consumers are understandably concerned with the safety of recycled water.

“The advanced treatment plant design incorporates a range of technologies proven in other geographies, providing barriers to viruses, protozoa, bacteria, and chemicals over and above what’s required to treat a typical surface water to a drinkable standard.

“The pilot plant has treatment capabilities that meet or exceed even international standards for treatment of recycled water, giving Watercare the flexibility to trial different treatment configurations.”

Where we’re at

Commissioning of the pilot plant is ongoing, and since October 2023, Watercare has been sampling and testing purified recycled

Left: An overview of both the non-potable recycled water plant and the advanced purified recycled water plant, side by side. Above: Watercare Mangere reuse treatment trains.

water produced in the pilot plant and tracking it against the Drinking Water Standards.

Brendon says the pilot plant will enable Watercare to explore the benefits and trade-offs of different technologies and operating requirements and assess costs for producing purified recycled water at a larger scale.

“Having our pilot plant will give us a deeper understanding of the source risks and the effectiveness of overseas water purification technologies in removing pathogens and chemicals that may be found in Auckland’s wastewater. It allows us to gather more local evidence and information to lead more informed and meaningful conversations with our stakeholders.

“If you asked Kiwis if they’d be happy to drink purified recycled water, I imagine there would be a level of apprehension as there can still be a bit of a yuck factor from the public’s perspective. However, we hope these attitudes will change once we have scientific data demonstrating that we’re producing purified recycled water that’s safe to drink and can prove that it looks and tastes good too.”

Moving forward

Watercare’s priority moving forward is to secure stakeholder and public acceptance and trust in recycled water as a resource. The pilot plant will be used as a facility to host tours, which has been a successful method of building public support overseas.

Watercare will partner with mana whenua during the development of the recycled water programme to ensure that tikanga is embedded in any recycled water processes. Watercare acknowledges that there are

cultural sensitivities surrounding the use of recycled water, particularly as a drinking water source, and will work alongside mana whenua to design solutions that address these sensitivities.

Watercare chief operations officer Mark Bourne says decisions about our water supply today will have wide-ranging and long-term impacts on Auckland – making it important for us to bring people on board.

“We firmly believe that seeing is believing, and that those who can see the technology first-hand are much more likely to support the concept of purified recycled water, as has been proved in overseas examples.”

Mark says regulators also play an important role in enabling us to scale up and make purified recycled water our next water source for Auckland.

“We plan on utilising data from our pilot plant to support conversations with regulators.

“Regulatory frameworks that support the use of recycled water will be required when the need for our additional water source arises. Although unacknowledged reuse via river sources is already happening across the country, including Auckland, no existing regulations enable direct purified recycled water.”

Issues of drought resilience and diverse water supplies will impact all Kiwis, not just those in Auckland, so this can easily be considered a national interest.

“If you or your utility is interested in purified recycled water as a future water source, then be sure to reach out for any collaboration opportunities – many hands make light work.”

Article provided by Watercare

Full-scale, multi-agency rescue scenarios offer invaluable learnings for Watercare team

Auckland’s water and wastewater service provider, Watercare, has been working closely with emergency services to put its rescue plans to the test before they’re needed.

This summer, Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s specialist high angle rescue team was called in to ‘rescue’ a staff member from the Wairoa Dam valve tower in the Hūnua Ranges. Watercare headworks manager James Talbot says the exercise – which was months in the planning – was designed to test the team’s valve tower rescue plan through all its stages.

“A valve tower is the structure that allows water from our lakes to enter the raw water pipelines. It contains valves and pipework that attach to a series of intake screens, and the Wairoa valve tower is 43 metres high, with six levels.

“Normal access into the tower is by a series of ladders. If someone can’t use a ladder, it becomes quite challenging to get them out.”

The tower’s remote location and thick concrete walls mean there’s no form of communication from inside, so whenever someone goes in by themselves, they must call in to say what they’re doing and when they’ll come out.

“If they haven’t come out by the specified time, we initiate a response to find out if they’re ok or if there’s an incident. If we can’t get hold of them, we send another team member to see if they can find them. If a rescue is required, we would then call the emergency services.”

The exercise started with a 111 call after Watercare dam technician Hēmi McGuinniety volunteered to be rescued.

“He had put together the logistics of the exercise and was keen to get first-hand experience of the rescue from the patient’s perspective,” says James.

Fire and Emergency assistant commander Brendon Irwin says fire crews attended from Hūnua, Ōtara, Papakura, and central Auckland.

“When Watercare first approached us as part of their emergency response plan we jumped on board and saw it as a really good opportunity for us to test our procedures as well.

“It grew some legs, which was great. Normally we’d just involve our Papakura crew, but we extended it a bit further and had our Hūnua volunteers as well – they were the first responding truck.

“We also got Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter involved as well,” says Brendon. “They transported our specialist lines rescue team from Auckland City – we generally try to put them on a helicopter when the rescue is more than 45 minutes away from town, where they’re based.

“A number of our fire crews have the ability to go down on a rope to a patient. Our specialist lines team has the ability to bring them up again.”

James says it took just over three hours from the 111 call to the ‘patient’ being rescued, due to the remote location and technical nature of the extraction.

“We’re really happy with the response and how smoothly it went. We’ve done rescue exercises before but not on this scale and we hadn’t tested the full response.

“The procedures worked well but there were learnings too. We’re now much more conscious of where we park our vehicles when we’re at the valve towers because if there is an emergency, the fire trucks need a lot of space. We can also look at how we could modify the valve towers to make it easier for Fire and Emergency to carry out a rescue.”

Hēmi says that it was cold waiting in the tower, which emphasised the importance of wearing layers to stay warm.

Brendon says the exercise was also a good training opportunity for the Fire and Emergency team.

“It went really well. There were a couple of things that stood out, from our perspective and for Watercare, but that’s why we test these plans. Now, if the real thing drops, we’re all better prepared for it.

“We’re doing more and more of these sorts of exercises with outside agencies, and they’re really valuable. Whakawhanaungatanga – building connections – is so important in breaking down barriers.”

Fire and Emergency New Zealand also works closely with Watercare’s Ardmore Water Treatment Plant team on scenarios that practise the response to a chlorine gas leak.

A rescue scenario held at Watercare’s Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant last year trialled a new scaffold structure for use in deep tank rescues.

Rescuers strapped the ‘victim’ – a pair of overalls filled with about 80kg of sand – to a stretcher and carried it up the new scaffold structure to get out of the eight metre-deep tank.

The trials went well and an improved version of the scaffold structure – with wider stairs to help get a stretcher around corners – has since been on standby while one of the treatment plant’s reactor-clarifiers underwent maintenance.

Watercare head of production Peter Rogers says, that while no

Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s

–

one ever wants to receive a report that someone has been injured, it is important that staff are appropriately trained and prepared for such an event.

“These simulated events are invaluable as they enable staff to practise response procedures and find gaps where improvements can be made. Having the support of emergency services really amplifies the value of the training exercise, and this is definitely something we’ll be doing more of across our different sites.”

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specialist high angle rescue team was called in to ‘rescue’ a staff member from the Wairoa Dam valve tower in the Hūnua Ranges. Watercare headworks manager James Talbot says the exercise

which was months in the planning – was designed to test the team’s valve tower rescue plan through all its stages.

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Switching oil for water

Suzanne made a career change to become the general manager of Watercare’s asset upgrades and renewals team two years ago. Before that, she had worked for BP for 18 years in a variety of roles, having joined the company in Wellington after doing a commerce degree majoring in marketing and commercial law at Victoria University.

“BP was really good at helping you build your career and provided lots of opportunities. I worked in customer management, fuel pricing, contracts and strategy roles.

“My last role there was as an asset manager which involved finding new sites and managing construction and maintenance. I realised that I liked the construction side of the business. We had a big health and safety focus.”

When she joined the Watercare team, she was the only non-engineer and the second female.

“It was very intimidating coming into the role and I was absolutely questioning my abilities. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t employed to be technical, but the first six months were really hard.

“I was worried about not having that technical background, but I think I’ve found my space and I can add value around leadership, health and safety, strategy and delivery.”

It was an adjustment for the team, but they are supportive, she says.

“It’s quite a close team and quite competitive. My role was a new one so I was able to develop it and make it my own.

Suzanne’s approach to leadership

Suzanne heads up a team of about 40 people, depending on contractor numbers. For the past year, their primary focus has been finding ways to deliver projects worth $15m or less – on the smaller side for Watercare –more efficiently.

Her role also involves team leadership,

Leaving BP and joining Auckland’s water and wastewater organisation Watercare was a big step career-wise for Suzanne Lucas, but her leadership skills are coming to the fore.

strategy, and managing Watercare’s extensive flood recovery programme.

“I’m trying to build a team people enjoy being part of, with a health and safety focus. What we need from our people is developing and changing. I want to make sure people believe health and safety is a priority, that we talk about it and make decisions where it’s the primary focus.”

Suzanne says leadership is about making sure that people understand how they fit into the big picture, so they have context.

“It’s about understanding that everyone has different strengths and focusing on those strengths to make their roles fit them. There has to be an element of fun in there because we spend so much time at work with our colleagues. If you can’t have fun with them, it’s a really hard day. Teams also have to be accountable and deliver the work.

“My team takes the competition and fun elements seriously – a number of us do Friday lunchtime exercise classes together. We also have a Watercare indoor netball team that plays on Monday nights.”

An ambitious $3.5 billion asset upgrade and renewal programme

One of the highlights of 2023 for Suzanne was the strategic search for industry partners to be part of the panel that will help Watercare deliver the first phase of its decade-long, $3.5b asset renewal and upgrade programme.

“This will be our biggest investment yet in proactive network renewals so it’s incredibly important that we get it right. We knew we needed to do things differently – it made no sense to stick with the traditional projectby-project tender process when a lot of the work is going to require similar approaches and construction techniques, like pipe replacements and pump station upgrades.

“So instead, we’ve found 19 consultants and contractors to join our panel and work with us to design and deliver large programmes of work. We had an intensive, three-month

selection process to make sure we found businesses with a demonstrated commitment to health and safety, as well as to sustainability and carbon reduction initiatives, and who of course had the ability to deliver, and do so efficiently.

“This work is ultimately going to mean fewer water leaks and wastewater overflows, so it’s a really exciting programme to be leading. Over time, we should see the benefit of our investment with a reduced spend on reactive maintenance as we see fewer pipe breaks.”

In tandem with the consultant and contractor search, Watercare set up its first Māori supplier business network Ngā Kakau Paraha – a preapproved group of 16 relevant suppliers who offer services including traffic management, electrical, scaffolding, landscaping civil works, and plant or labour hire.

“We hope that by connecting our contractors with these Māori business owners we’ll help to lift the Māori economy. We have a target to have five percent of our annual total spend going to Māori businesses by 2025 and we still have a long way to go.

“The feedback so far from both our consultants and contractors and members of Ngā Kakau Paraha has been really positive. We got everyone together for a ‘speed-dating’ style networking event in March, where the Māori business owners could explain what their business offers, how they operate and how they can help our panel members deliver our renewals programme.

“We decided on speed-dating as we were keen to have a more interactive and relaxed process, rather than each business having to stand up to present to a room of people. And it seems like it worked well – we even had some successful matches with second ‘dates’ planned!”

Overseeing Watercare’s flood recovery work

The other big-ticket item that sucks up a lot of Suzanne’s time is overseeing Watercare’s extensive flood recovery programme.

“The intensity and volume of the rain in both summer storm events caused a huge number of landslips – some which took out watermains, wastewater pipes and caused issues in our dam catchments. We had new damage reports coming in for months afterward, and recorded about 200 individual issues.

“When the business moved from incident response to the recovery phase, my team took over a lot of the flood recovery work.

“I was only a year in at Watercare when that happened, so it was awesome to be trusted with such a massive responsibility – a big confidence booster.

“Part of the challenge was putting a team together to focus on flood recovery repairs without severely impacting our other work programme. We have a really good team and it’s been quite interesting to see how efficiently we can get things done when we’re in a situation that requires it.

“We’ve done a huge amount of work already, and I’m really proud of the progress my team and our operations staff have made. Putting Muriwai Water Treatment Plant back into

Life beyond work

service after it was buried in a landslide was a complex and challenging job – as are all the repairs needed in our dam catchments, where landslips have put some of our pipes at risk.”

For each repair, Watercare is assessing how to enhance the resilience of its infrastructure.

“For example, in areas where landslips broke our wastewater pipes, we are building retaining walls to minimise the likelihood of a recurrence. We’re also strategically considering the placement of critical components like electrical cables and controls to mitigate their vulnerability to severe flooding.”

Suzanne’s management skills extend beyond work to her family life – with her and her husband and their three children into sports, the family’s evenings and weekends involve a complex schedule of trainings and games.

Suzanne says while her youngest two –daughters Georgia (six) and Frankie (eight) – don’t put much thought into what she does for a job, her 12-year-old son Cooper is fascinated.

“When he sees photos of the things we build at Watercare, he’s shocked, maybe even a bit impressed, that his mum works on projects like that. And that’s a pretty good feeling.”

Overseeing flood recovery works at Birkenhead.

Study reveals flood mud burden on Moreton Bay

University of Queensland sampling during and after the February 2022 Brisbane River flood has sounded a warning about the future of Moreton Bay with climate change predicted to bring more extreme weather.

Dr Alistair Grinham from the School of Civil Engineering says recent floods deposited mud across 98 percent of the bay, compromising its remaining areas of clean sand and hastening the growth of a muddy “dead zone”.

“In 1970 Moreton Bay had about 400 square kilometres of clean sand and now it has just 30 square kilometres.

“Clean sand is defined as having less than one percent of mud content so some areas may look lovely and white, but the  flood sediment is insidiously changing the nature of the seabed and affecting water chemistry.

“While sand is inert, flood sediment contains clay,  organic matter and nutrients from rural and suburban areas which microbes break down to release nitrogen. This process is a background stressor across the whole Bay contributing more and more nutrients to the water.”

Alistair says the levels of nitrogen measured in the water during the study indicated Moreton Bay already had a big problem.

“We estimate the amount of ammonium the sediment is contributing to the bay’s water to be equivalent to 180 years of sewage plant discharges. When you load a system with nutrients and mud like this, phytoplankton thrive and block sunlight reaching the seabed which is already being smothered by mud and these factors change what can live there.

“It is a process already underway in Moreton Bay.”

The study collected and analysed sediment from 47 sites around Moreton Bay three days after the flood peak and then at more than 200 sites throughout 2022.

Core samples of mud pulled from the seabed across the bay were also collected

and the results compared to previous studies done in 1970, 2015 and 2019. The findings are published in the journal  Science of The Total Environment

“Over the past 50 years, 300 million cubic metres of mud has been washed into Moreton Bay. A lot of the mud has collected in the central bay where the water is deeper and wind and tidal currents can’t disperse it. This is where a big mud zone is growing and puts at risk the great habitat wealth of Moreton Bay.

“With  climate change meaning we will see more  extreme weather events and floods in the future, we desperately need  restoration work along the Brisbane River catchment and especially in the Lockyer Valley and Bremer River sub-catchments that flow into the Bay.

“Without restoration work, eventually Moreton Bay will not be able to bounce back from a flood event.”

The research is part of a long-term collaboration between UQ, Urban Utilities and the Port of Brisbane.

Read the paper by Alistair Grinham et al, ‘Nitrogen loading resulting from major floods and sediment resuspension to a large coastal embayment’, in Science of The Total Environment (2024) at sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S004896972400785X?via%3Dihub

Article provided by University of Queensland

Satellite image of the Brisbane River flood plume entering Moreton Bay in early 2022.

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The impact of floodwater on the ocean

When floodwater reaches the sea, it can leave a 50 metre thick layer of brown water – and cause real problems. By Neil Malan, research associate, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney and Moninya Roughan, professor in oceanography, UNSW Sydney.

Over this wet summer, Melburnians and Sydneysiders have had to think twice about cooling off at their local beach. Heavy rainfall has swollen rivers and pumped pollutants, nutrients and murky fresh water far out to sea. Swimmers at Port Phillip Bay beaches are emerging coated in brown goo, while Sydney’s seas were contaminated in March.

During 2022, floods repeatedly hit Australia’s eastern seaboard, causing an estimated A$3.5 billion in damage and tragic loss of life. In Sydney, it was the wettest year on record, with 2.2 metres of rain falling in the year, twice as much as usual. The heavy rainfall event in March-April dropped more than 600 millimetres of rain alone.

We don’t normally think about what happens to floodwater once it pulses out to sea. But we should. Floodwater is fresh. When it hits the sea in large volumes, it lowers the coastal ocean’s salinity. In our new research, we found floodwaters in 2022 led to 116 extreme low salinity days off Sydney – 10 times more than the annual average. Extreme low salinity days are those that fall into the bottom five percent of salinity values ever measured at this location.

Normally, this effect clears within six days. But in 2022, extreme low salinity persisted for months in the coastal ocean. These plumes of freshwater extended as far as 70 kilometres offshore – five times further than original estimates. You could see them from space. For fish, this is confusing and dangerous. For kelp forests or sponge gardens, it can be lethal.

Unprecedented floodwaters, unprecedented impact

Why do we care about very low salt levels in our coastal seas?

First, changing salinity levels let us track where floodwaters are headed. This is important, as floodwater often carries

pollutants, sediment and other contaminants from the land into the ocean.

Second, when large volumes of freshwater arrive, it can actually change the density of the ocean. Saltwater is heavier (more dense) than freshwater, which is why some seabirds can find a layer of drinking water far out at sea when it rains heavily.

The ocean’s density depends on a combination of water temperature and salinity. Off Australia’s east coast, this density is usually influenced more by temperature. But during 2022, we saw something change. For the first time, we saw the density of seawater was becoming controlled by salinity.

Rather than the hottest temperatures always being seen at the surface, the heat could be anywhere in the water column, as the weight (or density) of the water was mostly being controlled by how much salt it contains, not how warm it was.

You might look at the sea and imagine it’s the same all the way down. But in fact, there are very real changes as you go down the water column, and there are distinct layers of water.

What this pulse of floodwater did was change the structure and layering of the water column in unusual ways. In this coastal ocean, there’s usually a light layer of warm

Plumes of floodwater pushed far out to sea during the 2022 floods. This image shows the Hunter River on April 11 2022.

water at the top and colder water below it. During 2022, the normal ocean water was replaced by two additional layers of fresher water from successive floods.

The 50-metre deep layer of fresh water didn’t simply mix with salt. Instead, the floodwaters remained off our coastline for months, trapped between the land and the warm, swiftly flowing waters of the East Australian Current.

What does freshwater do to ocean ecosystems?

Some coastal species such as bream tolerate freshwater well. But others don’t like it at all. We expect the sudden appearance of a very large freshwater layer would have forced fish to move. The sediment and pollutants in the floodwaters can disrupt normal food supplies for the ocean’s inhabitants.

We already know floodwater can destroy kelp forests or cover verdant seagrass meadows with sediment, affecting turtles and dugong. This, in turn, can temporarily slash the catch from some fisheries.

How

did we track these changes?

Off the eastern coast lies an advanced network of ocean sensors, deployed as part of Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System. For our work, we used data from oceanographic moorings – sensors anchored to the floor and extending through the water column – as well as underwater gliders, an underwater drone packed with instruments.

Moorings give us detailed, consistent information but only at a few locations. Gliders travel hundreds of kilometres up and down the length of the coastline in a zigzag pattern, from the coast offshore and back, and diving from the surface to the bottom around every 200 metres.

We used data from moorings, gliders, satellite data and estuary monitoring sensors run by the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment to build up a picture of where floodwaters had moved.

Even though we have a good system of sensors, our observing systems are geared

towards monitoring temperature rather than salinity, meaning that this type of analysis can only be performed in certain parts of the coast that have the right instruments.

Climate change is worsening floods. Could it weaken coastal ocean salinity?

Globally, there’s little data on how salty our coastal seas are – and what floodwaters are doing, especially in areas where large rainfall is intermittent, such as eastern Australia. In 2022, severe floods also hit Pakistan and South Africa.

These regions don’t yet have ocean observing systems capable of detecting and tracking the impact of floodwaters on the ocean. We don’t know what these unprecedented floods are doing to ocean ecosystems – but it’s important we find out.

Extreme rainfall events are expected to increase globally due to climate change. We will need to determine what’s happening down there to plan our response and adapt as best we can.

Pokaiwhenua planting to improve stream water quality

Extensive planting work is underway in the Pokaiwhenua, South Waikato catchment as part of DairyNZ’s collaborative approach to improving waterway health.

The joint DairyNZ, Raukawa Charitable Trust and Pokaiwhenua Catchment Group work involves putting in more than 15,000 plants around Tokoroa’s Whakauru Stream. This work is aiming to improve water quality so native species can thrive in and around the Whakauru Stream – a tributary of the Pokaiwhenua Stream. Monitoring shows good existing numbers of native eels (tuna), freshwater crayfish (kōura) and many more species.

DairyNZ general manager farm solutions and policy Dr David Burger says partnering with organisations that have similar goals is a key step towards ongoing environmental progress.

“We look forward to moving forward with iwi and farmers to improve waterway health in the Pokaiwhenua environment, and we hope to identify further partnership opportunities as we continue to focus on environmental improvements at a catchment level.

“Catchment work is widely recognised as the way forward in improving the environment, as it achieves better results than a national one-size-fits-all approach.”

Community and iwi planting days will also be held throughout 2024, along with weed and pest control initiatives. Information boards will be put up to showcase the area’s history, plant and animal life, and a footpath will ensure the community can easily access the area.

This work is part of a three-year DairyNZ Sustainable Catchments programme that is trialling practical tools and interventions on-farm, such as constructed wetlands, to increase awareness and understanding of ways to improve water quality.

The programme is funded by the Ministry for the Environment’s Jobs for Nature programme and is focused on priority catchments – Pokaiwhenua, Waimea (Southland), and the South Canterbury region – where monitoring

Above: Pokaiwhenua Stream just before it meets Waikato River. Inset: Monitoring shows good existing numbers of native eels (tuna), freshwater crayfish (kōura) and many more species. kōura

has shown there are higher nitrogen concentrations and lower ecosystem health scores than other catchments.

Current work across all three areas includes catchment assessments and designing monitoring programmes to track water quality and hauora (health) change over time. This will be followed by on-farm and catchment activity to test and demonstrate mitigations with proven science to improve waterway health.

“There are opportunities for improvement

in each catchment. Each catchment has committed landowners who are passionate about improving water quality, and our Sustainable Catchments work will help accelerate the momentum of current restoration activities.

“We will work closely to support local landowners and catchment groups, which already have water quality improvement initiatives underway.”

The Raukawa Charitable Trust/DairyNZ collaboration through the Sustainable

Catchments programme represents a combined western science and Mātauranga Raukawa/Māori approach to grow understanding of how to improve catchment ecological health. The Pōkaiwhenua work also showcases the progress that can be made through partnerships.

Raukawa Charitable Trust tāhuhu rangapū (CEO) Maria Te Kanawa says her organisation is committed to its responsibilities as kaitiaki of the South Waikato region.

“We have a key role to play in the revitalisation and restoration of the wider Pōkaiwhenua catchment. We are pleased to be partnering with DairyNZ and local farmers as we collectively work towards healthier waterways in this catchment – and ensure the long-term needs of the community and the environment are met.”

The Pokaiwhenua work is expected to be completed by June 2025.

Article provided by DairyNZ

DairyNZ GM sustainable dairy David Burger

Shedding light on a very dark river

If the appearance of the muddy Amazon River evokes a coffee cut with cream, the Ruki River, coursing gently through the Congo Basin, is like a dark tea.

On its slow path through mostly untouched lowland rainforest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the water leaches organic material from vegetation, prompting some researchers to think it is one of the darkest blackwater rivers on Earth. The dissolved material in this distinctive water, scientists are finding, offers clues into the carbon cycle of tropical forests.

The Ruki drains an area about the size of Senegal. Most of this watershed is covered in broadleaf and lowland swamp forests. It also contains peat bogs and only a small amount of deforested land.

“The Ruki is a good candidate for being one of the most pristine and homogeneous large tropical watersheds on Earth,” the authors say in a recent study about the river (Read the paper, ‘Hydrology drives export and composition of carbon in a pristine tropical river’ at aslopubs.onlinelibrary. wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lno.12436).

The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 captured this image of the Ruki River at its confluence with the Congo River, approximately 650 kilometers (400 miles) upstream (north) of DRC’s capital city Kinshasa.

For the first time, researchers have measured the chemical composition and flow of the Ruki’s dark waters. For one year, they collected water samples from a field station just upstream from the confluence and analysed them for components such as dissolved organic carbon.

Rivers are conduits of carbon to the ocean and atmosphere, especially in the tropics, so scientists are interested in knowing how much carbon they are transporting and from where.

The study reported that, as the water colour suggests, the Ruki is rich in dissolved organic carbon compounds. It contains four times as much organic carbon as the Congo River and 1.5 times as much as the Rio Negro, the world’s largest blackwater river and a major tributary of the Amazon.

They calculated the Ruki drains only five percent of the Congo Basin but contributes 20 percent of the Congo River’s total organic carbon. The Ruki watershed is very flat, such that water drains slowly and allows dead jungle vegetation plenty of time to ‘steep’ in it, the authors say. Because of this heavy carbon load, they add, “tropical forests like those around the Ruki might not accumulate quite as much carbon as we once thought.”

The researchers also measured

radiocarbon isotopes of the dissolved carbon to determine its source. The Ruki runs through areas with peat soils full of partially decomposed plant matter that could represent another source of carbon if eroded or leached into the river.

Their results showed that very little carbon comes from the much older peat and that most comes from younger forest vegetation and soils.

Although the peat appears stable now, they said, future drought or human disturbance in the watershed could release carbon that is now mostly locked up.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the US Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann at NASA Earth Observatory

The Ruki River at its confluence with the Congo River.

In water management, today’s decisions shape tomorrow’s reality. At Spark IoT, we recognise the critical role that technology plays in ensuring the vitality of our water resources for generations to come. Discover what is possible with Spark IoT Chat to an IoT expert iot@spark.co.nz

Climate change’s impact on global water resources

As the global community faces the far-reaching consequences of climate change, one of the most pressing concerns is its profound impact on water resources.

By Tanvi Oza, climate change advisor, WaterAid Australia

Our climate is changing at an alarming rate and it’s making it even harder for the world’s poorest people to get clean water. In the past decade, more than 90 percent of natural disasters have been caused by floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts and other weather-related events. From sea-level rise to flooding, cyclones and droughts, the climate crisis is a water crisis.

With devastating impacts on communities on the front line of climate change, it’s hitting those least responsible for it the hardest.

Over two billion people worldwide lack access to safely managed drinking water. One of the most immediate consequences of climate change is the exacerbation of water scarcity. As temperatures rise, evaporation rates increase, leading to more frequent and prolonged droughts.

With the current climate scenario, it is predicted that water scarcity will displace between 24 million and 700 million people, by 2030.

Climate change also disrupts traditional precipitation patterns, causing unpredictable and extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. Floods can contaminate water sources, leading to the spread of waterborne diseases, while droughts deplete water reserves, leaving communities without a vital lifeline.

In both cases, the ability to access clean water is compromised, placing vulnerable populations at increased risk.

People need a climate-resilient supply of water that keeps pumping through flood, drought and natural disaster. Regions that are already grappling with water scarcity find themselves in an even more precarious situation.

Beyond water scarcity, climate change poses significant challenges to sanitation infrastructure. Increased flooding can damage sewage systems, leading to the

contamination of water sources and the spread of diseases. Inadequate sanitation facilities in many parts of the world are particularly susceptible to climate-related disruptions, further compromising hygiene and public health.

WaterAid Australia is at the forefront of the battle against water scarcity and access to climate-resilient sanitation, advocating for sustainable solutions to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all. We provide water and sanitation services that communities can rely on.

We’re working with partners and sideby-side with the world’s most vulnerable communities to help them get a steady supply of clean water, come rain or shine. We’ve been doing this for 40 years, so we know exactly what it takes.

We provide waterpoints and pipe networks that can withstand floods, so people continue to have clean and safe drinking water. We help people monitor

and manage their water supplies properly to meet their basic needs in times of drought.

There is a lot more to do. Our planned work includes raising waterpoints and toilets, so they withstand floods and don’t contaminate water, storing rainwater in rooftop tanks or ponds for times of drought, or helping communities monitor water levels so they can prepare for shortages.

Rural communities often feel the impact of climate change on water resources the most. Traditional water resource management practices are often no longer relevant as they face unique water challenges due to unforeseen climate change impacts.

In the face of these challenges, innovation becomes a crucial tool in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. We promote innovative technologies and practices that can help

Children collecting water from the water source, which involves a long uphill walk mostly along a rocky dried up river bed that is challenging underfoot.

communities become more resilient to the changing climate.

Rainwater harvesting systems, decentralised water treatment solutions, and climate-smart agricultural practices are just a few more examples of initiatives aimed at safeguarding water resources in the face of a changing climate.

Addressing the impact of climate change on water resources requires a coordinated and global effort. WaterAid Australia actively supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 – ensuring

availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

By advocating for climate-resilient water and sanitation solutions, supporting vulnerable communities and fostering international collaboration, we strive to make progress toward achieving this critical goal.

The fight for water and sanitation is inseparable from the fight against climate change. Through sustainable solutions, innovation and global collaboration, we can build a resilient future where communities

thrive, even in the face of a changing climate. Clean water can create a ripple effect that will be felt for generations. By ensuring people have clean water close to their homes, they will be better able to stay free of disease. When they are healthy and well, they are better able to go to school or to grow food they can eat or sell. With clean water, they will be better able to earn a living and put money aside for the future. Communities will be stronger, so they can plan and prepare for whatever tomorrow brings.

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