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ISSN 1179-2949 (Print)
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13 New SIGs allow for focused conversations
16 Inspiring the next generation of water leaders
CONFERENCE
19 Local Water Done Well panel discussion
20 A hitchhiker’s guide to resilience
22 Weaving science with indigenous knowledge
23 Artificial intelligence in water
24 Shaping a modern water business
27 New national wastewater standards
30 Award winners
FEATURES
36 Profile: Gabriella Campos Cardwell
38 Profile: Kemble Slotemaker
40 Profile: Chris Oord
42 When our wai can run dry
46 Understanding the risk of acute GI disease from drinking water
48 Game changing water management
58 Valuing the benefits of water conservation
62 Aerial aquifer survey for freshwater resilience
72 Promoting nature-based solutions to stormwater in urban areas
74 The nose knows
76 Using hydrothermal liquefaction to process wet waste
79 The fight against invasive clam
80 Empowering corporate teams to make a difference
CASE STUDIES, PAPERS AND COMMENT PIECES
54 A reflection on evolving drinking water legislation
56 The good bugs of potable water
64 Bringing down demand through water efficiency in non-residential sector
68 Legal comment
70 Lessons from England and Wales’ innovation fund
78 Antimicrobial resistance in the water sector: Do we need to care?
-48 36 42
‘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.
Our efforts now will determine our future
Tim Gibson President, Water New Zealand
Iam honoured to be stepping into the role of president of Water New Zealand during such a pivotal and transformative time for our sector. Having been on the board of Water New Zealand for four years and in my role as chief executive of Citycare Water, I am acutely aware of the challenges and uncertainty the sector has experienced during this time.
Our recent, and hugely successful, conference reflected the dynamism of the water sector and the challenges and opportunities ahead. Not surprisingly, we have plenty of conference coverage in this journal, including keynote presentations, our award winners, and discussions around Local Water Done Well.
As your water community, we will continue to play an important role in helping our members navigate through the new environment – the establishment of the new water service delivery models and the new regulatory environment.
Our board is committed to ensuring we represent our members’ interests and, looking ahead, we’ll continue to advocate for the sustainable development of the water sector.
I encourage you to take advantage of the many opportunities to be involved in Water New Zealand and to have your voice heard –from our many webinars and regional meetings, to our 12 special interest groups, along with Water Utilities’ Association (WUA) and Water Services Managers’ Group (WSMG).
I have been a member of the WUA (previously known as the Service Providers’ forum) for many years and my experience is that these groups certainly provide a rewarding opportunity to be involved in crucial decisions for the sustainable future of water.
As an organisation, we continue to look for new opportunities for
members and our recently announced scholarships are an example of that. The scholarships are aimed at giving members the chance to broaden knowledge and networks by attending conferences, both locally and internationally. You can find out more on our website.
Looking to next year, we’ll be joining forces with the International Water Association for the 10th IWA ASPIRE Conference and Water New Zealand Conference & Expo in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in October.
This will be a major international event. Many of the challenges we face – from infrastructure affordability to climate change –are global, so it’s vital we collaborate with and learn from our international peers.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing board members Troy Brockbank, Shelley Wharton and Fraser Clark. Their contributions and support have been extremely valuable. I welcome on board new members Soltice Morrison, Paddy McNamara, and Suzanne Naylor.
I would also like to thank outgoing president Lorraine Kendrick for all her work leading the association over the past two years.
Finally, thank you to all our members for your ongoing support. It’s fantastic to see our membership continuing to grow. Remember – we are your water community.
But right now, my most important messages to you all is, have a very happy and safe festive season and I look forward to working with you next year, and meeting the challenges and opportunities that 2025 will bring us.
Tim Gibson President
10th IWA-ASPIRE CONFERENCE AND WATER NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE & EXPO
Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau
20–24 October 2025
Empowering Tomorrow — Smart Water Solutions for Resilient Communities
At Water New Zealand, we’re excited to be joining with the IWA (International Water Association) to bring the 10th IWA-ASPIRE Conference and Water New Zealand Conference and Expo 2025 to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
Our conferences are must-attend events for anyone with an interest in the water sector. Join us in 2025 and be part of an even bigger global event.
Next year’s conferences bring together water professionals from around the world and Aotearoa New Zealand to explore vital water challenges here and across the globe.
Automation, AI, AR/VR, and digital transformation
Smart water solutions and circular economy
Climate adaptation, resilience, and pollution control
Indigenous peoples’ relationship with water and much more Find out more at waternzconference.org.nz
Waikato school students explore fresh solutions to pressing water challenges
Kirikiriroa Hamilton-based Berkley Normal School won Water New Zealand’s inaugural ‘Imagining High Tech Water Cities’ writing prize. As a result, their talented young writers earned an all-day Design Jam with acclaimed author and visionary Steve Mushin, creator of the award-winning book Ultrawild.
The competition, which was run ahead of the Water New Zealand Conference & Expo 2024, asked young writers across the Waikato to imagine a new world, where wastewater is recycled, streams have been restored, and technology helps nature return.
The students explored bold ideas to develop fresh solutions for some of the world’s most pressing water challenges.
The writing competition aimed to tap into the creative potential of children, ignite their passion, and encourage them to explore their role in our water future. The entries provided imaginative glimpses into the challenges and possibilities of transforming water into a vital, sustainable resource in tomorrow’s cities.
Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe says it is crucial to work with young people if we want to improve long term outcomes and the sustainable management of our water bodies.
“With a blend of creativity and practical insight, their stories explored a future where water technologies play a pivotal role in ensuring a greener, more sustainable future.”
The range of solutions included online platforms to support collective action, the power of protest, agricultural solutions, hydologic and innovative architecture. As one judge said:
“If kids are thinking in this way, there is a bright future for our waterbodies and our species. The stories captured the essence of protecting our future – when we value our natural environment, we will protect it.”
Our seven-year-old judge also loved the stories: “The future sounds quite possible”, she said.
Excerpts from two of the winning essays…
“When the bell rang on the last day of school before the summer holidays in 2024, I never thought I would have to save the world. At first I thought it was a curse to be chosen to save the future on what was supposed to be a relaxing holiday. It was such a big responsibility that I felt I was not ready for, but now I think it was a blessing in disguise. If that opportunity wasn’t given to me, I would never truly see the beauty in our normal plain everyday water. I used to hate drinking plain water and prefer drinking sweet drinks, but now I look at every drop of plain water in my
cup differently.” Wenjing Ma, aged 12. “Slowly everything started to change even more. Twenty-five percent of humans started building homes on land and the rest stayed on water. Cruise ships and everything unhealthy for marine life started making major changes in how they earned their income, making it eco-friendly, and people on land this time valued their second chance on land and took care of it more. Slowly people started living peaceful lives no matter where they were. There were less fatalities on land and on water and everything ended harmoniously.” Mishti Dalal, aged 12.
Tāwara o te Wai podcast: Cyclone Gabrielle – coping and rebuilding after crisis
More than 18 months after Cyclone Gabrielle caused unprecedented mayhem in Hawke’s Bay, Tāwara o te Wai podcast hosts Jon Reed and Hannah Edmond look back at the events of February 2023.
Speaking with Hastings District Council group manager – asset management, Craig Thew, and Darrren de Klerk, business director at Beca who’s leading the Silt Recovery Taskforce, they look at the lessons learnt and how we can better plan for resilience.
“Pretty much hell came to town that weekend”, was how Craig described the devastation that unfolded as the cyclone took its toll on communities and critical infrastructure including essential water services.
He describes waking in the morning to lost power and a day that disintegrated rapidly with the stop banks breaching and the loss of lives, homes and livelihoods.
Craig and Darren agree that relationships and rapport developed through BAU was key to ensuring a rapid and effective response in the midst of an emergency. They say that trust, delegation and giving people confidence to make critical decisions is vital.
“The worst decision is indecision in these elements,” says Darren.
Preparing for disaster through emergency exercises was helpful but limited.
“You need to come up with a really bad scenario then double it… Don’t think it won’t happen because it can,” says Craig.
Effectively, they agree that it’s simply not possible to design infrastructure that is affordable for communities and will withstand an event like Cyclone Gabrielle.
“We’re not going to be able to harden our defences to anything and everything.”
Planning for that loss of control and
infrastructure failure is a vital part of emergency preparedness and resilience. If things fail, how do they fail safely? And how can we put them back together as quickly as possible through that response phase?
Eighteen months down the track, Hawke's Bay remains in recovery phase. This is the time when it’s important to realise you’re in an ultramarathon, not a sprint and to make the best long term decisions around asset renewal and recovery.
“One of our treatment plants that we had in Esk Valley is probably running at 80 to 90 percent and we’ll leave it there while we work through what is the future of that community,” says Craig.
Then there’s the big question of community awareness of the risks they’re buying into and expectations around the ability of services to cope and then rebuild after a catastrophe.
Go to Spotify to listen to the full discussion.
WEFTEC Conference an inspiration
By Belinda Cridge, technical lead (drinking water quality & education), Water New Zealand
To promote the 10th IWA-ASPIRE Conference and Water New Zealand Conference & Expo in October 2025, I, along with Water New Zealand immediate past president Lorraine Kendrick, went to the World Environment Federation’s (WEF) annual WEFTEC Conference held in New Orleans. This massive event brings together around 22,000 water professionals, innovators, leaders and experts.
The exhibition hall has to be a highlight. Essentially covering a city block, the entire downstairs of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center contains everything you could ever want to buy for water systems: Digital solutions, hardware, innovations, and some of the coolest robots I’ve ever seen (I may be biased as they let me drive one of the underwater ones in the tank. I’m hooked).
PFAS mania has really taken over the US; there were many products looking at PFAS remediation, which were new to market and took multiple different approaches. While this is currently less of a concern in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is interesting to gain that
international perspective and see where the technology is leading.
My pick in the innovation tent was SampleServe, a company using technology to streamline water sample chain of custody requirements.
As a member organisation, WEFTEC provides Water New Zealand the opportunity to meet and network with other similar organisations across the globe.
During the House of Delegates sessions we discussed ways to share expertise and resources. This is crucial to the work we do, it helps us keep our members up to date with international knowledge and stops us having to reinvent the wheel.
Our mentoring programme has been included in their latest toolkit, and we benefited from the opportunity to learn from others as we developed this new approach. You can sign up for the revamped programme via the website (waternz.org.nz/mentoring).
In the technical sessions, with my watching brief on emerging contaminants, I was keen
to learn more about the PFAS monitoring, and attended a great session on PFAS in biosolids. Our new Biosolids Guidelines cover this important topic.
Emerging on the radar of possible concern are 1,4-dioxane, another legacy chemical that is proving challenging to remove from water supplies, and also mercury. I’ll be spending some time over the coming months looking into these in a bit more detail and seeing what areas of concern there might be for us.
While the conference was eye-opening, our mission was to promote IWA-ASPIRE 2025, so we networked, gave out flyers, and distributed the world’s greatest chocolate (Whittaker’s).
You can help make IWA-ASPIRE and the 10th Water New Zealand Conference and Expo 2025 a great water event. Make sure your international colleagues know about the conference – it’s a great chance for them to finally make it to Aotearoa New Zealand, drink some great wine, explore our shores, and of course learn from us about water and how we do it.
Kiwi honoured with WEF award
Congratulations to Garry Macdonald, who is one of nine recipients of the Volunteer Service Recognition Awards at the WEFTEC Conference in October.
The award was in recognition of Garry’s contribution as global lead on the WEF Programs Community, which manages the WEFTEC Technical Program, and for his terms on the WEF Board of Trustees and the House of
Delegates, representing Water New Zealand.
This is the first ever VSR Award given to a New Zealander, and almost certainly the first to be made to a WEF volunteer outside USA and Canada.
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organisation based in Washington DC with more than 30,000 individual members
and 75 affiliated Member Associations (MAs) representing water quality professionals around the world.
Storytelling to learn better
By Belinda Cridge, Water New Zealand technical lead (drinking water quality and education)
At the WEFTEC Conference one particular session focused on Asia-Pacific water. The speaker for Aotearoa New Zealand got up and uttered words that make my heart sing at these types of events: “I’ve prepared a PowerPoint presentation but I’m not going to use it. I thought I would just tell you a story”.
Te Rau Kupenga of Te Amokura Consultants and Ngati Porou wove a tale about growing up on the East Coast, about the marae, his nanny and preparing food, and then about Cyclone Gabrielle and its impacts. At the end we came away with a powerful sense of who he was and why water was so important to him, his community, and his whanau.
I was so engrossed that I didn’t think to take a photo of the room – it wasn’t just me that was
entranced. Everyone followed his tale intently and came away caring about his message.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful and oldest techniques for transmitting and keeping information. It turns out our brains are hard-wired for stories. The superpower in stories is the ability of a good narrative to release neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine (reward, learning), oxytocin (feeling good, connection), and cortisol (stress but also focus).
A 1995 study, ‘Storytelling: A Natural Mnemonic: A Study of a Storytelling Method to Positively Influence Student Recall of Instruction’, compared learning from lectures with storytelling. Twice as many students who were told stories remembered the key points five weeks later as compared to those in lectures.
Knowing that storytelling is so powerful for learning, we use it in our all our Water New Zealand learning packages.
Using videos in our digital badges is a chance for industry professionals to tell their stories. This offers an engaging way to learn and understand new material.
For those of you with a critical mind, it can be an interesting experience to use these courses to do your own meta-analysis of the course. What stories worked best for you, and why? What videos did you pay attention to, and what resonated with you? How could you use these ideas when you present or talk about your work?
However, for the ultimate in storytelling practice and experience, you should try the Cultural Significance and Importance of Wai course. Kaiako Troy Brockbank is a master at using stories to engage everyone on the course, encouraging them to bring their own stories and sharing some of his own. Our feedback shows that this works; the course consistently rates as one of our best. Book now for February.
Garry (left) alongside Tom Sandy (Brown and Caldwell), who was also recognised for his outstanding service to WEF and the Program Community.
Call for Abstracts
Be part of shaping the future of stormwater management in Aotearoa New Zealand
Presenting at the Water New Zealand Stormwater Conference and Expo is a fantastic opportunity to share your research, ideas, and innovative solutions with industry leaders and peers.
This year’s themes are:
• Kaupapa Māori
• Nature-Based Solutions
• Stormwater Futures
• Sustainable & Innovative Funding
Closing date for Abstracts: 31 January – find out more: stormwaterconference.org.nz
Save the Date – join us as we celebrate 25 years of our Stormwater Special Interest Group and be part of the conversation that’s building the future for stormwater resilience in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ka ora te wai, ka ora te whenua, ka ora ngā tāngata – If the water is healthy, the land is healthy, the people are healthy.
New guidance to support water sector climate action
By Lesley Smith, technical
lead (projects & sustainability), Water New Zealand
In September 2024, global average temperatures have been reported as being 1.54°C above the pre-industrial level. This marks the 14th month since July 2023 in which the global-average surface air temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
With 1.5°C considered the safe operating space for our planet, we are now at a key juncture in Earth’s history. In the words of the secretary general of the UN, António Guterres: “Tomorrow it will be too late. Now is the time to mobilise, now is the time to act, now is the time to deliver. This is our moment of truth.”
It has certainly been an active year for our Climate Change group, seeking to provide advice to the water sector, both on how we can decarbonise our operations, but how we can adapt. Two recent guidance documents from the group aim to do just that. Both are available for download from the group’s webpage: waternz.org.nz/climatechange.
Both guides have been produced pro-bono by group members, who have volunteered their time to share their knowledge; a perfect example of the collaboration and passion that we will need to address the climate challenge ahead of us.
Navigating Climate Challenges: Case Studies in Water Sector Adaptation
This document aims to help the water sector address climate adaptation challenges, providing examples of effective local and global solutions. It focuses on filling knowledge gaps identified by Water New Zealand members, and features case studies that highlight successful climate adaptation solutions.
Departing from the conventional three-waters framework, this document focuses on adaptation at the organisational strategy/ governance, portfolio and asset levels. The aim is to foster interconnected thinking across all three water disciplines, the water cycle and all facets of water management.
Each of the three waters face similar challenges in adapting our
aging infrastructure, and water professionals must avoid thinking in silos and instead seek to learn from one another.
This compilation of case studies provides examples of approaches being applied to known complex challenges. Reflecting that our body of knowledge will grow over time as our maturity and knowledge as a sector grows, this publication is intended to be a living document. Submission of additional case studies for future revisions can be made to the Climate Change Special Interest Group.
Getting started in measurement of wastewater process greenhouse gas emission
If you haven’t already, now is a great time to get started on the measurement of your wastewater process emissions.
Methane and nitrous oxide are both potent gasses produced as a biproduct of wastewater treatment. There are a huge range of factors influencing their production, meaning a sensible first step towards reducing them is measurement.
Building on the Carbon Accounting Guidelines for Wastewater Treatment: CH4 and N2O (Andrews, 2021), this new guide is for organisations wishing to accurately quantify emissions, and to find a path towards reducing them.
The new guide encompasses the following areas:
• Rationale for undertaking direct measurement;
• Current knowledge on New Zealand’s WWTP emissions inventory;
• Qualitative risk assessment for site selection of on-site measurement;
• Mechanisms driving wastewater process emissions;
• Equipment required to undertake direct measurement;
• Advantages & disadvantages of different measurement methods;
• Emerging approaches to measurement and source identification
• Case studies; and
• Options for mitigation.
Leadership and travel scholarship programmes
Did you know about our leadership and travel scholarship programmes, aimed at helping our members grow and develop in the water sector? These scholarships open the door to a range of learning opportunities. At Water New Zealand, we’re committed to supporting learners and helping to shape the next generation of leaders in our industry. The travel scholarship covers registration and accommodation for industry events, whether they’re here or overseas. You must be a financial member to apply. Find out more on the career development section of our website: waternz.org.nz
Introducing our new board members
Soltice Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue; Tainui, Ngāti Rereahu-Maniapoto), pou rautaki Māori/Māori strategy lead at Aurecon, environmental/te taiao ambassador
Soltice provides leadership to the integration of te ao Māori values and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnerships across design, engineering, and advisory projects of Aurecon.
Her technical background as a geologist, contaminated land practitioner, and environmental research scientist enables her to navigate both technical and cultural complexities. She has wide ranging consultancy, research and advisory experience weaving Māori knowledge systems with technical delivery.
Recognised as a Next Generation Leader finalist at the Infrastructure NZ Building Nations Awards and one of ‘25 Trailblazing Women’ by YWCA
Aotearoa New Zealand, Soltice also contributes to iwi and Māori advisory boards and advocates for environmental protection as a BLAKE Ambassador. Soltice strives to support the Water New Zealand Board with the integration of te ao Māori values and Te Tiriti o Waitangi to deliver the Towards 2050: Transformation Vision for the Water Sector. Paddy McNamara, partner, Simpson Grierson
Paddy is a leading local government and resource management lawyer, and a trusted advisor to some of the country’s largest councils and council-controlled organisations in the water sector.
His expertise spans resource management and local government law, regulatory compliance, bylaws, charging for water services, customer contracts, trade waste, and legislative reform.
He is also an experienced litigator and has represented Auckland Council, Watercare and territorial authorities in judicial review and other public law litigation.
Paddy has also been a regular presenter at the Water New Zealand conferences over the past decade, writing and presenting papers on such topics as service delivery models under Local Water Done Well; Watercare’s comprehensive wastewater network discharge permit; how to obtain a 35-year wastewater discharge consent; and the implications of moving to a contractual model for water services delivery.
Suzanne Naylor, general Manager - water and environment, Fonterra Co-operative Group
As a chartered environmental engineer, Suzanne has extensive experience in water and wastewater
management, both within municipal authorities and industry, Suzanne brings a valuable co-lensed perspective to the Water New Zealand board.
Suzanne’s water journey began at Watercare in 2002 and included responsibilities for source/raw water management, dam safety, and water and wastewater networks and reticulation. She also led the specialist environmental/water quality and technical support team, playing a pivotal role in compliance management and strategic leadership across the wider business.
In 2023, Suzanne was offered the role of general manager water & environment at Fonterra due to her background in water and environmental management. Since being at Fonterra, Suzanne has continued to champion sustainability initiatives with her forward-thinking approach, aimed at building a sustainable future for all New Zealanders, and has been a key figure in managing water and wastewater across Fonterra’s 30 manufacturing sites.
Soltice Morrison
Paddy McNamara Suzanne Naylor
The Call for Abstracts and workshops is now open until 31st January 2025
This year we are looking for abstracts and presentations (no paper needs to be submitted) on the topics below. If you have an abstract that you would to submit then please complete the abstract form on our website.
If you have a proposal for a workshop, please scan the QR code below to submit your expression of interest.
• Modelling for climate, the environment and nature
• Resilience and water security
• Imaging the future of modelling – AI and innovation in modelling
• Integrating Te Mana o te Wai in water management and modelling
• Modelling and data analytics - how much do you trust your data?
• Smart use of model outputs (digitisation, GIS)
• Communicating uncertainty in our modelling
• Post-event modelling to guide response, recovery and future preparedness
• Connecting communities with modelling
• Wildcard
New SIGs allow for focused conversations
We’re pleased to introduce Water New Zealand’s three new Special Interest Groups (SIGs): Te Ama | Aukaha te Wai, Wastewater and Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
Our groups provide a space for members to collaboratively advance their areas of expertise. They bring together members with the same interests to liaise, share and solve problems, promote their fields of interest, distribute information, encourage discussion and develop and maintain industry standards and policies.
Many thanks to the members who have initiated these new groups. Each group is convened by a committee, which will provide a space for knowledge exchange, but also deliver a range of outputs such as technical guides, podcasts, webinars, journal articles, conferences and regional events.
To connect with new and established groups, you can register your interest via your Water New Zealand dashboard to keep up to date, or reach out to committee members via their webpage: waternz.org.nz/specialinterestgroups
Two sides of the same coin
The Te Ama | Aukaha te Wai SIG will support the wider water industry to manage water resources in line with our nation’s bicultural values.
Originally established in 2021 to provide the Stormwater Group with expertise and advocacy around the principles of Te Mana o te Wai, the group’s new standalone status reflects the need for these principles to be woven through all the water sector.
The Government has decided to change
the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management 2020 (NPS-FM), removing the hierarchy from the consenting process and in the development of wastewater environmental performance standards. The six principles of te Mana o te Wai have not been removed from policy frameworks.
While the explicit changes to the NPS-FM are unknown, the Resource Management Act (RMA) still requires us to promote the sustainable management of natural and physical resources. This includes “sustaining the potential of natural and physical resources (excluding minerals) to meet the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations" and "safeguarding the life-supporting capacity of air, water, soil, and ecosystems”.
To ensure future generations can survive and meet their reasonable needs, we must prioritise the health of our freshwater bodies.
Te Mana o te Wai, while it involves equally tangata whenua, government and the wider community through its six principles, is a concept rooted in Te Ao Māori. It is about recognising the mana and protecting the mauri (life force or vitality) of the wai, and the relationship between the water, the wider environment, and the community.
This perspective has some unique benefits when it comes to environmental management.
In Te Ao Māori, we are linked to the environment through genealogical relationships – Ranginui is the sky father, and Papatūānuku is the earth mother. To oversimplify things, you can’t justify the environmental impacts of a discharge with financial gains when it’s your mother who’s being polluted!
The six principles of Te Mana o te Wai
Mana whakahaere: the power, authority, and obligations of tangata whenua to make decisions that maintain, protect, and sustain the health and well-being of, and their relationship with, freshwater.
Kaitiakitanga: the obligations of tangata whenua to preserve, restore, enhance, and sustainably use freshwater for the benefit of present and future generations.
Manaakitanga: the process by which tangata whenua show respect, generosity, and care for freshwater and for others.
Governance: the responsibility of those with authority for making decisions about freshwater to do so in a way that prioritises the health and well-being of freshwater now and into the future.
Stewardship: the obligations of all New Zealanders to manage freshwater in a way that ensures it sustains present and future generations.
Care and respect: the responsibility of all New Zealanders to care for freshwater in providing for the health of the nation.
In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
Today, intergenerational equity is a similar concept posed from a western world view, and both are built into the focus of the RMA. It tells us we shouldn’t thrive at the expense of our children and grandchildren, and that means leaving them a freshwater environment, as healthy, if not healthier, than the one we inherited.
So, whether it’s called Te Mana o te Wai, or intergenerational equity, or something else, the practical application for us in the water industry is the same.
Let’s talk wastewater
In the current climate of growing environmental concern, regulatory upheaval, and increasing uncertainty in water management, the need for a more focused space to promote sustainable wastewater management has become very clear.
It’s with this in mind that we have established our new Wastewater SIG, aimed at helping bring together and strengthen collaboration amongst like-minded members.
While wastewater has always been a core function of Water New Zealand, this new group will help ensure a more focused space for promoting sustainable wastewater management and meeting new challenges.
Our group is currently working through our play book (workplan) and work streams. The following early discussions and focus areas include:
• Standardisation of practice: Development and promotion of standard practices that support Taumata Arowai and help ensure high quality and consistency throughout the country.
• Advocacy and policy influence: With a united voice we can more effectively advocate for improved regulation, funding, and policies related to wastewater management.
• Technology advancements: The wastewater industry is constantly evolving with new technologies and methodologies. We aim to provide forums to ensure members are as up to date as possible.
• Professional development and training: Provision of opportunities for shared learning in workshops, seminars and
training. Influence and support of qualification development and delivery.
• Networking: Connecting with peers to collaborate and share experiences and knowledge.
By bringing together like-minded professionals with diverse backgrounds we can foster innovative thinking and support the development and promotion of best practice.
The group will play a pivotal role in ensuring sustainable water management for generations to come, so please join us and be part of our story.
A voice for everyone
Building an inclusive and welcoming environment where all voices are heard and valued is a key focus of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) SIG.
The group aims to ensure a diverse representation and participation within Water New Zealand and to help promote the water sector as an inclusive and diverse community.
Ensuring a diverse and welcoming environment for a wide range of people is not only the right thing to do, but also a big win for the water sector through helping to grow the talent pool. See profile article on Chris Oord
(page 40) on benefits of a diverse workforce.
The first steps of the new group will be to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the diversity of communities served by the sector as well as working within the sector. This includes understanding the needs of minority groups across race, gender, sexuality, and neurodiversity.
The new SIG supports the 2050 Transformation Vision for the Water Sector, emphasising diversity, equity, and inclusion
outcomes through various actions.
It will collaborate with other organisations such as the Women’s Infrastructure Network and Diversity Works NZ and create opportunities for learning and growth through conferences, webinars, and networking events.
If you want to find out more, go to our website or contact Mumtaz.parker@ waternz.org.nz
Written by Dave Neru, Harley O’Hagan and Mumtaz Parker
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Celebrating the launch of three new special interest groups, from left, Lesley Smith, Water New Zealand; Stephanie Dijkstra, Te Ama | Aukaha te Wai co-chair; Uki Dele, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion chair; Emma Brand, Veolia; Dave Neru, Wastewater chair; Mumtaz Parker, Water New Zealand.
Why our Water Journal should be in your marketing budget for 2025
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Inspiring the next generation of water leaders
By Lesley Smith
Our tamariki are our future leaders. Instilling in them the importance of water, understanding where it comes from, and why it is precious is vital in ensuring they look after and appreciate water. In the words of Professor Falco Sniehotta, an expert in behaviour change: “Targeting children is crucial because they are in a formative stage of life where habits and behaviors are more malleable. Influencing children can lead to long-term positive changes not only in their lives but also within their families and communities.”
It’s a message Water New Zealand’s members make time and again; we need to start water education young. What many water professionals don’t realise (including myself until recently) is the huge range of water education initiatives already happening in classrooms.
This year the Water Efficiency Conservation Action Network (WeCAN) provided Water New Zealand Conference and Expo delegates the opportunity to learn about existing education programmes and how to support their work. The opportunities are many.
If water education is something you’re passionate about, here is an overview of initiatives on offer and how you can get involved.
Aqualibrium
Aimed at late secondary and tertiary education. The Aqualibrium activities and materials are designed to teach learners about the urban water cycle. Participants compete to distribute three litres of water equally between three reservoirs. Host and run an aqualibirum competition of your own. Details here: aqualibriumcompetition.net/
House of Science
For both primary and intermediate students. House of science provides resource kits and support to deliver hands-on science lessons. Kits include the ‘Wonderful Wai’ science resource kit which demonstrates how water molecules bond together. ‘Whose water is it?’ explores allocation issues, and ‘Water, water everywhere’ from the climate change kit. You can sponsor resources, assist in classrooms when kit is in use, or enrol your local rural school to access resources: houseofscience.nz/science-kits/
Mountains to Sea
For Years 5-13. Mountains to Sea run both school and community education programmes, including ‘Wai Connection’ and ‘Whitebait connection’ focused on the health of our streams, rivers, and wetlands with resources and support for school groups age year 5-13. You can support their initiatives by volunteering, donating or sponsoring their work: mountainstosea.org.nz/ If you’re in the Wellington region, you can book an event, find one to join, or volunteer for regional initiatives at this link: mountainstoseawellington.org/
Smart Water Campaign
Primarily for Years 5-8 but it can be adapted from Years 1-4 and Years 9-10, available in Hamilton City, Waipa District, and Waitomo District.
Smart Water School lessons, developed in conjunction with Science
Learning Hub, teach students freshwater in the Waikato region, which has applicability across the whole country. While only available in Hamilton City, Waipa District, and Waitomo District, you can access their online resources to support your own water education initiatives; sciencelearn.org.nz/topics/water
Watercare’s water education lessons
For Years 4- 8 in Auckland, Watercare provides students free, in-classroom lessons to deepen their understanding of water, water quality, and how to protect their waterways. It gives children the tools and knowledge they need to become proactive community members when it comes to conserving water and improving our environment. If you know schools in the Auckland region that could benefit, pass this info on: watercare.co.nz/residents/learn/free-water-education-lessons
Waiaroha
Suitable for all ages, Waiaroha is located in the heart of Hastings. The centre houses the Hastings District Treatment plant alongside a discover centre which aims to spark excitement, kōrero, and community action around water in Heretaunga. Plan a visit, or connect with free teaching education resources at waiaroha.co.nz/ (Also, see story on page 48.)
Wonder Project, Water Challenge
For Years 7-8, the Wonder Project is Engineering New Zealand’s programme for schools, designed to inspire young Kiwis with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Their new water challenge explores the journey of wai and how STEM is used to collect, clean, connect and care for it. Individuals can become a Wonder Project Ambassador (volunteers who support kaiako running a challenge in the classroom), and organisations can become a funding partner to keep the programme free: wonderproject.nz/
Waterline, Tauranga City Council
With in-class programmes for Years 1-8 in Tauranga, Waterline offers a free education programme for schools and community groups. Their ‘source to sea’ learning programme for years 5-6 lets teachers choose either water supply, wastewater, or stormwater modules to be delivered by a Waterline educator. Additional programmes include stream cleanup events and water/wastewater treatment plant tours. If you know of schools or groups in Tauranga who would benefit, direct them to tauranga.govt.nz/council/water/water-education
Water New Zealand
We have our own guide, ‘Understanding Stormwater – A Quick Start Resource Guide For Schools available on our website, which provides a framework for teachers to discuss stormwater. It also links to many more fantastic New Zealand resources.
This year’s conference another record-breaker
By Gillian Blythe, chief executive, Water New Zealand
Each year I talk about our record-breaking conferences, and this year was no exception. Some 1700 delegates, presenters, and exhibitors joined us for the Water New Zealand Conference & Expo 2024, while more than 900 joined us at the Downer Gala Dinner.
With more than 100 keynote, thought leadership and technical presentations, along with workshops, the pre-conference Enabling Local Water to be Done Well symposium, the Innovation Forum and some fascinating expo stands, there was truly plenty for everyone.
One of the highlights of our conference is the opportunity to celebrate the incredible work and achievements across the water industry. This year we congratulated Jim Bradley for being awarded the Association Medal. The Association
Medal is a highly esteemed award and there are only a very limited number of living holders of this award at any one time. You can read more about Jim and other award winners on pages 30-34.
This year we were very excited by the calibre of our speakers and presentations and the range of fascinating expo stands with some cutting edge solutions. This reflects the dynamic and exciting industry that we’re all working in.
I hope everyone left our conference feeling energised with new contacts and friends, fresh ideas and inspiration. I know I certainly did.
Of course, we could not have done this without the generous support of so many in our industry and I thank our technical committee, led by Ian Garside, for again pulling together such a relevant and highly professional technical programme.
No one to dance with
A year nine school dance was the analogy (now former) Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan used when he described how negotiations with other councils were going over joining together to form CCOs or service agreements.
Tim was speaking during a panel discussion at the conference alongside Central Hawkes Bay District Council Mayor Alex Walker and Watercare chief executive Dave Chambers.
“All the kids are standing around the school hall saying they’re not going to dance with the other kids because they’ve got spots. But they’re not seeing the spots on their own faces or the skidmarks on their own pants,” says Tim.
“We’re not going to be able to do it on our own, and it’s going to come to a crunch over who is left to dance with and the people we really need aren’t interested in dancing with us, and so, financially, it will not work.
In his region, Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark has been reported as saying that the city would go its own way in order not to get caught up with the “warring councils of Otago”.
This prompted Gore’s mayor, Ben Bell, to respond, “if Invercargill is out, we’re all screwed”.
“People look at me [Central Otago] and say, you’ve got eight drinking water plants and seven wastewater plants and 19,000 people – that’s not a good option.”
Whereas Tim pointed out that while Dunedin has a lot of people per kilometre of pipe, the main water interceptor was built in the 1900s. He said that in Invercargill and Dunedin, the average age of infrastructure
We appreciate the ongoing support of our premier partners – Brian Perry Civil, Citycare Water, Hynds, Veolia, Fulton Hogan Water, and Watercare, along with our regulatory partner Taumata Arowai.
Thanks also to our conference sponsors – Intergroup, Lutra, Applied Instruments, Aurecon, Downer, Gentrack, and Neura. Also our award sponsors – Site Safe, Pipeline & Civil, Trility, Beca, Morphum Environmental, Mott MacDonald, Hynds, IXOM, Citycare Water, and Tonkin + Taylor.
Finally, thank you to everyone who helped make the event such a huge success. I’m looking forward to seeing you next year at the 10th IWA-ASPIRE Conference and Water New Zealand Conference and Expo.
in wastewater is 60 years and in drinking water it’s 50 years.
None of the potential dance partners have meters, a big advantage that Central Otago could bring to the table.
“So you can hear the conversation I’m having – I don’t want to dance with you but I need to.
“I’m really, really fearful that we’re all going to be standing there come July next year when we need to be cracking on with our drinking water plans… I do not look good dancing on my own.”
For Tim, the big question is, what’s going to happen to the orphans; the councils that nobody wants to dance with?
He doesn’t know what the answer is.
From left, Water New Zealand CEO Gillian Blythe, Central Hawke's Bay DC mayor Alex Walker, Central Otago mayor Tim Cadogan, and Watercare CEO Dave Chambers.
Reflections on Local Water Done Well panel discussion
The Local Water Done Well policy heralds a step change for the industry. At a preconference symposium at the Water New Zealand Conference and Expo, panellists discussed the ins and outs of water service delivery models in Australia and the lessons for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Former Water New Zealand board member and water leader at Aurecon, Dr Deborah Lind, reflects on some of the key take-aways from the panel discussion, saying, for her, two themes emerged:
The water industry and network are only as strong as its weakest link; true of any system of connected pipework and even more true in a city water system.
There is no need to re-invent the (water) wheel. We have many examples of great Local Water Done Well overseas; let’s look to incorporate the core pieces of these programmes into the development of local management models.
The panel included Unitywater’s Anna Jackson, Taswater’s George Theo, and the Australian Water Association’s Peter Dennis. Moderated by Aurecon’s Australia industry leader for water, Ryan Signor, the group provided us with real nuggets of feedback to consider when looking at new delivery models.
The goal: to invest at the right time, at the right price, and address longstanding issues.
Don’t over complicate, get started and prioritise. The likelihood of getting bogged down in endless internal discussions, contemplation, and so on will hold up your transition. It’s time to just get on with it. Some things will need to be resolved on the fly.
Over communicate. There are many stakeholders to take on your journey, it is best to use all channels and methods to communicate, and continue to reiterate your core messages.
Scale. This is how you will maximise revenue and fund the debt you will need to put in place a functional, best practice system.
It’s a journey. Aiming for that ‘big bang’ will mean you become stuck in overcomplication. Instead implement a phased programme, and communicate that this is a journey of transformation which will take a number of years. Know your board. Having an early understanding of your board’s risk appetite, as well as the organisational risks, will simplify your journey and reduce the number of times projects need to be re-worked or re-introduced to the leadership team.
Do a few things well. It’s tempting to try and solve everything at once. Again, you risk losing your way by doing too much and getting none of it right. Your first four priorities: People, planning, risk, and governance.
An Australian perspective
Ryan Signor has significant experience working alongside water entities to build new programmes of investment. He shared that the business case for reform of the water industry is predicated around how the benefits of scale, specialisation, debt-raising and sustainable financing will assist to address issues of service delivery, asset condition and risk.
He says here, in Aotearoa New Zealand, we also have the political hot potato of the already considerable investment in water reform, which still has value into the future despite the core model having changed around a self-organising principle.
He also reflected the importance of focusing on the stakeholders the entities have been established to serve. The arrangements need to work for both larger and smaller centres, and provide inter-generational equity, ensuring that all regions receive long term benefit from the investments.
The entities will need to out-live periods of business uncertainty, changes in government and societal shifts. They will need to work to continue to drive asset investment, high quality risk management and, most importantly, delivery of the core service – water. And this must happen at the same time as the governance model is being built and implemented.
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Keynote speakers
A hitchhiker’s guide to resilience
To know where we are going we acknowledge where we are coming from. This was how opening keynote speaker, Donna Flavell, chief executive, Waikato-Tainui and chair of the Iwi Advisors Group for Freshwater, began her presentation at the conference.
In what she called a hitchhiker’s guide to resilience, Donna provided a snapshot of the turbulent history of the Waikato land confiscation in 1865 and the many attempts for redress through to 1995 when Tainui became the first iwi to settle under the Government’s billion dollar fiscal envelope deal.
The Tainui settlement included $170 million in cash, with ongoing provision for top-ups until 2044 to ensure relativity with future settlements. The result is that every five years, Tainui receive a top up payment to bring them into line with other settlements.
Included in the deal was the return of just three percent of the 1.2 million acres of illegally-confiscated land which was “obviously peanuts compared to the loss”.
Importantly, however, was the apology from the late Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the Crown and then the establishment of the Waikato River Authority.
The Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act was passed in 2010. It provides for a single cogovernance entity to set the agenda for the health and well-being of the Waikato River for future generations.
The vision and strategy set the platform for greater management of the Waikato River.
The guardians responsible for maintaining the health of the river included five iwi along the length of the river and relevant territorial authorities, with each territorial authority entering a joint management agreement with Waikato-Tainui. This has allowed for co-management of the river by Waikato-Tainui and the territorial authority.
The two key pillars involved Te Mana o te Awa – the health and well-being of the river being the priority, and that goes hand in hand with the health and well-being of the people.
This was a holistic approach, Donna says, because “we’re at the low end of the awa so we get all the pollution from the upper reaches, and so the only way to influence the impact for our people at the lower reaches is to have a say over what’s happening at the front end.
“So whole of river approach is very important – not only because of our fundamental principle of the river having its own mana and life-force, it means that we can do a proper clean-up for health and well-being.”
She said the river generates a massive contribution to the country's GDP and hydro power and supports a range of industries that benefit off the awa.
“But what are we doing to invest back into the awa to ensure that we can continue to operate?
“So those are the challenges in front of us and we’re working alongside partners to make sure we’re investing back into the restoration of the health and well-being of our awa.”
Whakatupuranga 2050 – long term plan
Looking to the future, delivering on aspirations and equipping rangitane for the future is key to Tainui’s long term planning for its 91,000 tribal members.
Donna told the audience that those big conversations centre around building resilience, including access to food and water, responding to sea level rises, tribal self-sufficiency (including in power and transport), as well as connectivity and health and wellbeing of people.
The focus, she says, will remain in the communities through major asset ownership and investing locally.
She also outlined progress and thinking around a major innovation hub, Hopuhopu, which runs adjacent to the Waikato River. This is seen as a blueprint for iwi development and infrastructure. Hopuhopu will provide a whole community of housing, education and recreation in an integrated and holistic approach.
Other initiatives include the Ruakura superhub – a 610 hectare multi-use development which includes an inland port, industry, commercial, retail green space, and homes for 4500 families.
In order to ensure best practice to look after the health and wellbeing of the awa, Tainui has created a wetland facility to offset some of the stormwater discharge, and planted a million native plants while creating jobs and growing wealth.
Resilience around water supply and infrastructure
Using infrastructure and technology to reduce reliance on the river and find better ways to manage the take and discharge of the river is a key challenge for the future.
She says some of the big conversations might be around re-use and recycling and “these conferences are all about starting these big conversations”.
“There’s a lot of brains in this room, I’m sure you’ll come up with some really creative ideas around how we’ll do that.”
Donna Flavell, chief executive, Waikato-Tainui
Shaping a flexible economic regulation for water
Commerce Commission chair John Small outlined the role of the organisation as the sector’s new economic regulator, saying no subject is more important than water. He stressed that the organisation is very keen to work collaboratively with the sector.
“We need your help, your breadth of experience, local knowledge and perspectives as we draw on our experience in regulating other sectors, together with international best practice, to try to shape an effective regulatory regime tailored for Aotearoa New Zealand, and within that, for local communities and situations.”
John Small
Economic regulation can play a key role in ensuring efficiency and performance to benefit all, he says, but it needs the combined effort of water sector specialists, strategic decisionmakers, and kaitiaki of assets.
“This is not unique to water, whenever the commission blunders into an industry, the number one priority is to understand how it works and where the important pieces are.”
He says the commission is appropriately humble about respecting the deep knowledge that people who are steeped in an industry have.
Economic regulation can help with the huge tasks ahead – the need for improvement in infrastructure and resilience, along with keeping up with population growth and demand.
“Further delaying capital investment is not an option so we have to get started. If we delay further, we’ll have less resilient and reliable water services that will cost more, whether that lands with consumers, ratepayers, or taxpayers.”
The Commerce Commission already has a track record in economic regulation, including electricity and telecommunications networks.
As with water, these are natural monopolies. It makes no sense to duplicate the network for competition, which means we can’t rely on competition to drive cost reflective prices, he says. This means there is also a risk of a misalignment between the incentives of people running the networks and the needs and desires of consumers.
Without competition, customers may question whether they are receiving fair value. Economic regulation can ensure appropriate scrutiny, transparency, and performance monitoring, and at the same time, recognise and reward effective work.
Assurance to financial markets
John points out the additional benefit of providing assurances that financial markets seek when considering investments in the sector, especially as much of the infrastructure investment will rely on debt financing.
A stable regulatory environment can reassure investors and help secure the necessary funding for these projects, while keeping costs fair and reasonable for consumers.
Collaboration with stakeholders
He also highlighted the importance of collaboration with stakeholders throughout this process. The commission is engaging with a range of partners, including government agencies like Taumata Arowai, the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE), iwi, and local governments.
Seeking input from the sector and integrating the perspectives of Māori, particularly in relation to Treaty settlement rights, will be vital to developing a framework that is truly tailored to our needs.
Contrary to some suggestions, he says the economic regulatory process is only just starting.
“Don’t think we’ve already got a box of tricks we’ve cooked up. In fact we don’t know what the laws are yet. We’re still waiting for the legislation to be passed and that will lay down the full details for the regime and legislative vehicle that will be used.
“But we can tell you that our vision is for a regime that supports drinking and wastewater infrastructure to be appropriately invested in, and maintained and delivered for the long term benefit of the consumers in every area where regulation is in effect.
“We realise that information is a huge challenge in this sector, we’ll be working with you… and work out how you’ll get better information and how we make better use of what information you’ve got, so it really is collaborative.”
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that infrastructure investments are well-targeted, maintain high high-quality water services, and deliver long-term benefits for all New Zealanders.
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Keynote speakers
Weaving science with indigenous knowledge
Auckland University associate professor of Māori studies Dan Hikuroa built on the final work of the Watercare Environmental Advisory Group’s exploration around water supply for his keynote address at the Water New Zealand Conference and Expo.
He spoke of how the group’s thinking, based on engineering and science, was initially constrained, but then freed up once they started to view water as a taonga. This approach, he said, could provide a basis on how to reframe our perspective around our relationship with water.
But first, he shared a sobering recap on the state of water.
• 45 percent of lake monitoring showed worsening conditions between 2011 and 2020, while 36 percent showed improvement.
• 45 percent of Aotearoa New Zealand’s river length is unsafe for swimming due to bacterial risks.
• 48 percent of the country’s river network is partially inaccessible to migratory fish.
• Two-thirds of freshwater native bird species were threatened with extinction or at risk in 2021.
• Over 4200 wastewater overflows were reported from July 2020 to June 2021.
These statistics reflect a long-standing trend of environmental degradation, including deforestation, wetland conversion, agriculture, and climate change.
He told the audience that the roots of our current challenges can be traced back to economic philosophies which emphasise private property and human control over land and water.
Legally, this meant that the freedom of a person to use their own land understood as private property overrode responsibility to protect the rights of the neighbours’ access to fresh water, free flowing streams and rivers.
He spoke of how rethinking our approach and embracing multiple knowledge systems, including matauranga Māori, can enrich our understanding of how we view and manage water.
“As engineers and scientists, we were taught this one way of knowing the world, that there’s always one right answer and that we should seek that one answer."
The Hawke’s Bay floods were a prime example of how a commandand-control approach, confining and managing rivers through engineered solutions, doesn’t always work, he says.
Allowing rivers to behave more naturally – making room for them to flood – aligns with the concept of water as taonga, viewing rivers as living entities with their own needs. It’s about moving beyond seeing water as a problem to be managed and instead viewing it as part of an interconnected system that must be respected.
Dan stressed that this is not about replacing one view with another but seeing that different perspectives can coexist and offer new insights.
The concept of water as a taonga is about more than just viewing it as a resource. It involves understanding its place within the whakapapa (genealogy) and the interconnectedness of all life. For Māori, the relationship with water is relational and spiritual, not merely utilitarian.
Legal recognition
Recent legal developments, such as the Whanganui River Claims Settlement Act 2017 and Ngāi Tahu’s push for recognition of rangatiratanga (chieftainship) over waterways, reflect a growing recognition of Māori rights and perspectives in managing water. These actions seek a more balanced approach that respects the cultural and spiritual significance of water while addressing its practical management needs.
Let the River Speak: Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au. Kei te mate te awa, kei te mate ahau. I am the river, and the river is me. If the river is dying, so am I.
This approach is being put into practice in Gisborne with the ‘Let the River Speak’ project, which involves working with communities to understand what the river needs, rather than focusing solely on human needs.
To do that, Dan, along with his team, is studying the geology, geomorphology, hydrology, ecology, human history, and social life of the Waimatā river, drawing upon mātauranga as well as cutting edge science to understand its dynamics.
The aim is to work with local people on planning for flood resilience, sustainable land use and the restoration of riparian forests and wetlands in the catchment, so that the Waimatā river community can flourish and thrive.
It involves co-designing solutions with local communities and drawing from both scientific and Māori knowledge systems. For example, facing issues like pine plantation runoff and erosion.
Other case studies reimagining water management:
• Hobsonville Point and Long Bay in Auckland are examples where stormwater is managed through swales and filtration gardens. This approach reduces erosion, sedimentation, and pollution, while enhancing the surrounding ecosystem.
• Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s work on Ōkahu Bay, also in Auckland, explored daylighting a buried stream, reflecting a shift to a more integrated approach that respects the natural landscape.
Dan says it’s about building relationships – with water, with each other, and with the natural world – so that we can ensure the health of our waterways for future generations.
Dan Hikuroa
Artificial intelligence in water
There are a lot of applications for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the water industry. Vinojini (Vino) Nair, artificial intelligence lead at GHD, spoke about the AI Librarian tool GHD is using, and what it provides and the benefits it offers.
An AI Librarian is similar to ChatGPT, but better, she says.
“At its core, ChatGPT is a fantastic tool… You can ask any question and it can give you answers in almost seconds, and we’re talking about terabytes of internet data that is available… but where it becomes dicey is it can ‘hallucinate’ the answers – the information it gives out may not necessarily be right.”
Like ChatGPT, an AI Librarian is a prompt interface, but rather than taking information from the entire internet, you upload documents for it to use. Then, you can ask questions and get insights, summarise themes and evaluate documents against requirements, etc.
GHD has partnered with Microsoft to create its AI Librarian. By having its own AI Librarian, GHD can upload thousands of documents into the model and that information remains private and secure.
Vino demonstrated the tool in action. The demo model she used has over 60 drinking water standards from throughout the world loaded into it.
She asked it: ‘Summarise the key differences between WHO and guidelines from Australia and New Zealand. Give citations.’
It duly gave the answer, providing its sources, right down to the
paragraph where the answer came from.
And this is the key difference between ChatGPT and an AI Librarian. ChatGPT doesn’t give you oversights into how it gets its answers. And as Vino says, if you ask a model a question, you need to know how it has interpreted the question so you can be sure the answer it gives you is what you are looking for.
Vino says they’ve found a benefit of using the tool is that, sometimes, nuggets of information can be hidden away deep in a paragraph somewhere that you didn’t know about and it’s only by using this tool that they have been found.
The AI Librarian is also used by GHD to update documents when standards are updated. By updating the primary document, the AI Librarian automatically updates the secondary and tertiary standards and guidelines as well (Vani says there is an approval process so that everyone is informed of the updates).
AI Librarians are just one of many applications for AI in the water industry. For those interested in exploring more, GHD has an AI Readiness Assessment survey for those interested in looking at things to think about before adopting AI into your organisation.
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Over the past 14 years, Unitywater in southeast Queensland has been on a similar journey to the one Aotearoa New Zealand’s water industry is currently on. CEO Anna Jackson was at the conference to share their model and to offer some lessons for our reform.
Unitywater serves the three councils that own it – City of Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast Council and Noosa Shire Council – totalling over 800,000 residents, plus over 11 million tourists a year. It has 17 wastewater treatment plants and 103 water reservoirs and over 12,000 kilometres of water mains and sewer mains. It has an asset base of around $4 billion, which is expected to double in the next 10 years.
It purchases water from Seqwater, the government-owned bulk water authority, to distribute through its networks, and recycles water. It takes care of the wastewater while the local councils take care of stormwater.
Anna says there are pros and cons to this construct: Distribution businesses can stay very close to their customers, and their shareholders, but they have to work harder when it comes to the integrated water management conversations.
Unitywater is a statutory corporation and began operating in 2010. It’s three participant councils have shareholdings that reflect the size of their assets upon start-up. Moreton Bay is the majority shareholder with 58.24 percent, the Sunshine Coast at 37.51 percent, and Noosa with 4.25 percent.
In transferring their assets across to Unitywater, the shareholders established a loan to the business. In return, they receive total fixed returns each year, agreed with the board, and this is currently A$140 million, split as per the shareholder percentages. This is a dividend the councils can rely on as it must be delivered each year.
Governance is important to ensure an independent and effective business, says Anna.
Founding legislation for Unitywater ensures it has an independent board of five, and a participation agreement outlines the rights and responsibilities between the parties.
Anna says the board is appointed by the shareholders but that’s where their involvement ends, “they leave us to get on with running the business and we report back to them”.
Board members have three- to five-year terms, with a
maximum of 10 consecutive years. They are well paid, so the position attracts very high-calibre applicants.
“We have an awesome board. I’m proud to work for them.”
Anna says there are no council representatives allowed on the board, which means the politics of the day don’t come into the day-to-day operations of the service.
However, there are regular ‘chair to mayor’ meetings, and Anna has a close working relationship with her three council CEOs.
The Queensland Department of Health guides their public policy and strategic programmes. The Queensland Department of Water oversees their operational compliance with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. The Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation guides policy, strategic programmes, and monitors licence compliance for operations. Economically, the Queensland Treasury Corporation lends funds for Unitywater’s capital infrastructure programme.
Anna says Unitywater’s price and service outcomes are similar to their regulated peers around Australia.
The challenge for Anna, her board, and her team, is to protect the long-term interest of their customers.
She likes to look at the long-term impacts of her decisions: “I’m thinking about my grandchildren and I’m thinking about generational equity, so that they’re not stuck, as adults, with massive bills for infrastructure that should have been thought of by people like me, now.”
Anna says we should be alert to some themes:
All three elements of sustainability are critical – the social, the environmental, and the financial. Financial stability underpins the ability to do every single other thing. She advises to reinvest where you possibly can and to try and avoid the short term gains from lower pricing.
“If you keep the price path really low, you’re just asking your grandchildren to pay for infrastructure for you later.”
Anna Jackson
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Shape is now host to thousands of connected devices in the field, servicing a very broad range of customers across NZ and Australia (everything from BBQs to water meters).
(Water meter cabinet on-site)
On the back of these developments, Shape have been working with several entities including Mackenzie District Council (MDC) over the last 12 months to build up their smart water capabilities. Developing the Oplex platform, and Edge Device hardware for the growing needs of
the NZ water sector, Shape have announced the full launch of these services to the wider water market.
“We have recently completed the supply of over 1800+ Edge Light devices for mechanical and commercial meters in Twizel, and now 2500+ connected water devices on our Oplex platform. It is great to offer a Kiwi-made solution to the local market.”
- Duncan Chisholm, Shape
(Shape edge devices)
Having further configured and developed their Oplex platform and combined it with their new Edge Light they now have a product which is specific to the needs of the water sector. The roll out of this technology will be vital as Councils like MDC prepare to meet their obligations to the new Network Environmental Performance Measure Rules and other legislative requirements.
Edge Light is a carefully designed IoT product - built to attach to pulse-enabled water meters, it can connect multiple meters to a single device. The
Edge Light efficiently collects and delivers data, communicating with the Shape Oplex platform and providing actionable data to users. Edge Light is made in New Zealand and can be installed in the field with a 10+ year battery design life and is fully NB IoT enabled.
(Shape Oplex platform)
Shape has quickly become a serious player in the Smart Water meter and Water IoT platform space, with several major companies and local authorities contracts rolling out throughout 2024 and into 2025.
Keynote speakers
Once in a generation opportunity
New national standards for wastewater will provide a once in a generation opportunity to modernise and lift the system, according to Taumata Arowai chief executive Allan Prangnell.
He says that nearly three quarters of the 321 wastewater plants operated by local government are up for reconsenting in the next decade and a further 15 percent are already operating on expired consents.
Local authorities, he says, have been mired by the reconsenting process because of the huge gap between community, iwi and hapu aspirations and affordability.
Through off the shelf streamlining, the new national standards would potentially strip more than a hundred million dollars out of the consenting process.
While there will be a national wastewater standard, within that there will be a range of
“off the shelf” sub categories. This acknowledges that not all receiving environments are the same.
“If you’re in an estuary environment, that’s very different from an ocean outfall or a fast flowing river.
He says, at this stage, there’s probably going to be something like a dozen standards within the standard. This is dependent on the environment that the wastewater is discharging to, such as land, ocean, biosolids or fresh water.
Taumata Arowai aims to go to Cabinet in March with draft standards for consultation, with the standards going live in August to coincide with the passage of the Local Government Water Services Bill (Bill 3).
Proposed Timeframes
Now – research and technical design
March 2025 – Publish cost estimates and consult on draft wastewater standards
April 2025 – Make refinements based on sector feedback
May 2025 – Present draft standards to Ministers for their decisionmaking
August 2025 – Launch standards once Bill 3 is enacted
Ongoing – Support implementation for consent holders and consenting authorities
An unrelenting message of hope and collaboration
Waikato River Authority chief executive Antoine Coffin asked the question, “Do we do what we’ve always done and expect a different outcome or do we choose to act in a way that creates space for others to join us, builds a legacy for future generations and is relentlessly collaborative?”
This was part of his message of hope and call for this generation to be exceptional leaders, and exceptional ancestors.
He shared the organisation’s mission and the immense challenges of restoring and safeguarding the Waikato and Waipa rivers.
Restoring the rivers will require a new way of thinking – an intergenerational mindset where the next generation continues the work started today. Balancing short-term actions with long-term goals is crucial, as is sharing responsibility.
The authority’s role includes coordinating an integrated, holistic and collaborative approach to river management. Antoine described the vision and strategy as a 30-year intergenerational commitment to restoring and protecting 11,000 square kilometres of river ecosystems.
Central to this is a 25-year action plan addressing issues such as erosion, recreational use, water quality, and cultural values. The plan relies heavily on the goodwill and active participation of communities to support these restoration activities.
But he emphasised that when everyone is aligned, “things that were impossible become
improbable, things that were improbable become possible, and the possible becomes likely.”
This unity, he says, can make an enormous difference in achieving the authority’s ambitious goals.
Achieving the desired outcomes will require moving beyond the status quo and embracing systemic change, which can be difficult and time-consuming.
Culture, he says, is key to driving success. A favourite saying is: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast – but when combined, strategy and culture take the cake.”
Building a culture within the organisation and communities that empowers individuals is key to driving progress. This highlighted the importance of relationships among people, the economy, and the natural environment.
Allan Prangnell
Antoine Coffin
New national wastewater standards
The Minister of Local Government, Simeon Brown, outlined proposals for a new national wastewater discharge standard when he spoke to the conference from his Beehive office via Zoom.
He says the new standards would reduce compliance costs, improve consistency, and provide more practical solutions for small communities. The standards will be included in the Local Government Water Services Bill to be introduced in December.
The Minister says that replacing the [multitude of inconsistent approaches] minimum standards approach across the country with a new single national environmental standard for wastewater treatment plant discharges to land and waters, biosolids, and network overflows reporting, would limit the ability for regional councils to impose stricter requirements.
The new national standards would prevent the regional councils from imposing requirements above or below the national standard, thereby limiting their ability to intervene beyond the set guidelines.
But he also emphasises that this doesn’t signal a lowering of environmental protections for discharges to freshwater or coastal water. Rather, he says that the changes align with international best practices and would reduce the cost burdens on smaller communities. And provide certainty for all – design engineers, operators and suppliers, applicants, and consent planners.
He says the feedback from communities has been clear: regional council-imposed discharge standards have made it challenging for them to invest in necessary infrastructure.
The uncertainty around performance, conditions and monitoring for treatment plant consenting imposed by regional councils have often been seen as cost-prohibitive and have prevented
essential upgrades and improvements. The new approach aims to cut through bureaucratic obstacles, allowing for a more efficient and consistent infrastructure development process across the country.
The move toward standardisation also provides opportunities for adopting cost-effective, modular wastewater treatment solutions. Smaller communities could benefit from end-to-end modular design, consent, and build approaches aligned with the new national standards.
These “off-the-shelf” modular plants would be more affordable and practical for small-scale applications and reduce the need for bespoke solutions.
Reducing the regulatory burden on small drinking water suppliers
The Minister also outlined the proposed regulatory changes to ease the compliance burden for very small drinking water suppliers.
Under the proposals, these very small suppliers, serving 25 consumers or fewer, will be excluded from the regulatory requirements of the Water Services Act 2021.
In addition, he says the water services regulator, Taumata Arowai, will have the ability to proactively issue exemptions when regulations prove to be impractical, inefficient, or unduly costly for small suppliers. The changes will also remove the requirement for Taumata Arowai and suppliers to give effect to Te Mana o te Wai.
Footnote: In December, the Local Government Water Services Bill is expected to be introduced along with the RMA amendment Bill. For more details on both, read the legal column on page 68.
At the conference
Ensure reliable prevention of reverse flow
Safety guard available DN80 - 600
TAKE A LOOK AT THE FEATURE VIDEO HERE
Celebrating our winners
The winner of the Young Professional of the Year Award sponsored by Beca is Gabriela Campos Cardwell. The judges were impressed by the deep sense of purpose evident in her work at Taumata Arowai, particularly the support provided to water suppliers in applying the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules. The award also recognises her volunteering contributions with the Institute of Chemical Engineers and Engineers Without Borders, where she has been supporting improvements in drinking water security in the Pacific.
Read Gabi’s profile on page 36.
This year’s winning project is Watercare Services for the Te Kauwhata WWTP MABR Upgrade sponsored by the Waikato District Council. The Project Award is sponsored by Pipeline and Civil
The Ronald Hicks Memorial Award, sponsored by Mott MacDonald, was won by Bronson Light and Nadine Oschmann from Veolia, and Kevan Brian (at back) and Hui Ian Tan (not pictured) from Watercare for the paper entitled “Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) – First Full Scale Plant in New Zealand”. Photographed with Mark Milke of the University of Canterbury (centre), Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe, and Thomas Haarhoff of Mott MacDonald.
Daniel Wright and the Gore District Council’s three waters treatment team won the Operations Award , sponsored by IXOM, for developing a successful solution to improve drinking water quality at the Mataura Water Treatment plant. Congratulations to Jason Domigan (left), Daniel Wright, and Aaron Green, pictured with Claire Deutsch of IXOM.
Kemble Slotemaker of Downer was named as Water Trainee of the Year . The award, sponsored by Citycare Water, recognises a relative newcomer to the industry who has made their mark through their ideas, approach, and hard work. Read Kemble’s profile on page 38. Kemble's manager, Becky Marsay (pictured), accepted the award on her behalf.
Hynds' Paper of the Year was “Improving Treatment Plant Upgrade Planning by Understanding the Capabilities of Existing Assets”, coauthored by Craig White and Liam Tamplin from Beca Hunter H2O, Anin Nama from Kaipara District Council, Clinton Cantrell from SCO Consulting, and Terry Roche and Aidan van Rysewyk from Downer.
Craig White with Water New Zealand Immediate Past President, Lorraine Kendrick.
The judges say this paper exemplifies innovation and out-of-the-box thinking while efficiently achieving the best outcomes for the community. It showcases a visionary approach to addressing the challenges faced by Mangawhai’s wastewater treatment system in a high-tourist area.
The authors demonstrated that through a series of innovative yet minimally disruptive upgrades, existing infrastructure can be optimised to unlock capacity and enhance performance, reducing both capital and operating costs by over 30 percent.
The runner up paper was “It’s not (just) about the book” by authors Ian McBeth, Ian Evans, and Peter Falconer. The judges say this informative and thought-provoking paper shows how collaboratively working with operations can effectively leverage information and address on-site challenges.
The authors examine both operational and equipment-related issues at Clutha’s wastewater treatment plants, delivering detailed technical information in a manner that remains accessible to readers unfamiliar in the field. The subject matter and the conclusions are highly relevant for all professionals tasked with troubleshooting.
The Environmental Sustainability Project Award , sponsored by Morphum Environmental, went to Hastings District Council for Waiaroha – Heretaunga Water Discovery for the Future of Water.
Read about this project on page 48. Back left: Emma Jay of Morphum Environmental; Garry Rippon, Craig Thew, TK Thompson, and Charlie Ropitini of Hastings District Council, Gillian Blythe of Water New Zealand. Front left: Steve Cave, Matt Kersel, Kelly Nikora, and Brett Chapman from Hastings District Council.
Fonterra Te Rapa and Drone Technologies NZ were awarded the Health and Safety Innovation Award , sponsored by Site Safe New Zealand, for Drone Collection of Water Samples from the Waikato River. The judges said this technology, developed by Kylie Wright from the Fonterra Wastewater Treatment Plant and Ben Plummer from Drone Technologies NZ, could have wider use in all areas where water sampling is required, and significantly reduce the risk for a wide range of workers.
Hynds Presentation of the Year was won by Garry Macdonald (right) and John Crawford for “Biosolids to biochar pathwayswhat we can learn from NZWWT”.
The Trility Young Author of the Year Award went to Ashley Gutteridge of Jacobs. for the paper: Green Waters, Red Flags: Selwyn District Council’s Cyanobacterial Risk Assessment Framework.
A short list of candidates had five minutes to pitch their innovation or future-focused idea in front of a conference audience. The winner of the Water New Zealand Innovation Forum was Chris Bishop from Bactosure.
Bactosure provides accredited on-site microbiological testing for drinking water samples. The judges were impressed by both the product and the path to market. They said that Chris clearly demonstrated his understanding of the problem rural suppliers face to access testing and had a novel but robust solution, both in terms of product and market roll out. The judges were also impressed with another stand out applicant, Naresh Singhal from the University of Auckland. Naresh demonstrated an innovative solution for mitigating nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater treatment plants, which the judges would like to see taken to pilot stage for further proof of concept.
Poster of the Year Award, sponsored by Tonkin + Taylor, was won by (from left) Sumaira Basharat, David Barker, Aisling (Ash) O'Sullivan, Sepideh Ansari, and Ricardo Bello Mendoza for “Drinking Water Nitrogen Removal using a Novel Cellulosed-Based Hydrogel. Pictured with Water New Zealand CEO Gillian Blythe. See their poster on page 33.
5S Emerging Water Professional Conference Attendance Prize winners
5S has awarded three promising young water professionals the opportunity to attend one of our two main conferences. By attending the Water New Zealand Conference and Expo 2025 or the Stormwater Conference 2025, they will be able to broaden their learning and professional development. The winners are Ben Caldwell, Stantec; Georgina Harris, Watercare; and Sharmi Perera, Beca.
New Honorary Life Members
New 5S New Zealand chapter members
Five Water New Zealand members have been inducted into the 5S New Zealand chapter of the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovellers – an internal society set up to recognise water practitioners who have contributed time and talent to the success and well-being of their associations.
The new members were awarded their "gold shovels” during the Downer Gala Dinner. Water New Zealand CEO Gillian Blythe is pictured with members left to right: Liam Foster, Technical Principal – Water, WSP; Nick Hewer-Hewitt, Head of Network Compliance, Wellington Water; Jon Reed, Operations Manager – Water, Beca; Priyan Perera, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, Watercare Services; and Stephen Burton, Transformation Lead – Water Services, Tauranga City Council.
Robert (Rob) Fullerton Hugh Blake-Manson Adrian Hynds
Sepideh Ansari1,*, Ricardo Bello-Mendoza1, Aisling O'Sullivan1, Rupert Craggs2, Sumaira Basharat3, David Barker3 1University of Canterbury, 2NIWA, 3University of Auckland; *sepideh ansari@pg canterbury ac nz
✓ Need for innovative and ecologically responsible adsorbents, like cellulose -based adsorbent
Cellulose chain
2. Why cellulose based adsorbent?
Benefits of Cellulose-based Adsorbent:
✓ Derived from trees, plants, and biowastes
✓ Non-toxic, biodegradable, and renewable
✓ High functionalization potential
3. Research question
4. Methods
Cellulose molecules
Anionic contaminants
Chemical
Functionalization
Cross-linker: methylene bisacrylamide (MBA)
5. Results
Cationizer: trimethylammonium chloride ((MTAC)
B: Hydrogel Effectiveness (Lab-based)
Cotton for packing
Hydrogel adsorbent
Cotton for packing
(Column: 30 cm L × 2 cm D) Effluent
Influent
Hydrogel mass= 9 gr NO3-= 15 mg/L Flowrate= 6 mL/min
Hydrogel Commercial resin
Fig 4. Breakthrough curve (Ct/C0 vs time) Fig 5. Nitrate removal vs. volume of treated water
✓ The outlet nitrate concentration remained below 1 mg/L for 7 days of continuous operation, corresponding to 62 L of treated water
✓ Maximum nitrate removal efficiency of 80% reached over 11 days of continuous operation (Fig 4)
✓ The highest total adsorption capacity was 137 mg/g
6. Summary
✓ The inflow water nitrate concentration was reduced to below 0 1 mg/L using hydrogel
✓ Hydrogel had similar initial performance to the resin (adsorbing up to 2 g of nitrate while treating 300 L of water) (Fig 5)
✓ Hydrogel performance declined rapidly as the material began to disintegrate
✓ The novel hydrogel, made from cellulose, offers a more sustainable alternative to polystyrene-based resins for immediate, high-efficiency treatment needs
✓ The use of cellulose-based hydrogel reduces reliance on imported polystyrenebased adsorbents made from toxic chemicals
✓ There is a possibility of using cellulose from biowaste resources and processing it into an efficient adsorbent
Cationic Cellulose Hydrogel Adsorbent
How effective is a novel cellulose-based hydrogel for nitrate adsorption from drinking water?
Hydrogel vs. Resinex NR-1 Validation and Regeneration
Hydrogel mass = 179 g
Resin mass= 436 g NO3-= 5 mg/L
Flowrate= 2.5 L/min
Regeneration solution: Saturated NaCl
Fig 6. Adsorption mechanisms
✓ Nitrate removed by the hydrogel through electrostatic attraction and ion exchange mechanisms (Fig 6)
✓ Hydrogel was easily regenerated using saturated sodium chloride (NaCl) solution
✓ Cl ions from NaCl displace NO₃⁻ due to their higher concentration in the NaCl solution
7. Future Research Directions
✓ Need to improve hydrogel structural properties to operate for longer periods
✓ Biodegradability of the hydrogel need to be determined
✓ Conduct an economic analysis of the hydrogel, including manufacturing, operation and disposal
A: Hydrogel Synthesis
C:
Fig 2. Continuous fixed-bed adsorption column
Fig 3. Under bench water filters
Fig 1. Hydrogel structure
Biowastes
Our newest medalist
Jim Bradley was awarded the Association Medal, Water New Zealand’s highest honour, at the conference this year.
Awarded only rarely and to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the industry and association, the medal is the latest in a long list of accolades and honours Jim has received.
In presenting the medal, long-time Water New Zealand member and fellow recipient Garry Macdonald said that Jim is an institution in the water industry.
“His skills have been honed over years of consulting to local and central government in wastewater management, resource consenting, and related three urban waters integration.
“In his work, he has been at the forefront of developing more sustainable concepts and the associated resource consenting for the management of municipal and industrial wastewater.”
Jim was humbled and honoured to receive the Association Medal.
“It’s a pretty big award, I think I’m only the eighth person to receive it.
“It reflects on my huge involvement in the industry in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and to have that acknowledged after a pretty long career is most gratifying. It also reflects on lots of people who have been on this journey with me – in the wider water industry, the association, clients and consultants, and, of course, my family.”
Ahead of his time for many years, Jim has always been an advocate for sustainable development and optimising technology and the environment to achieve the best outcome for nature and the community.
After graduating as an engineer in 1969, Jim spent a year in the Netherlands studying what we now know as environmental engineering and began writing papers about it on his return.
The world started to catch up, and in 1991, the RMA first included a definition of environment that was much wider than just the natural environment as it included the built environment, people, and communities.
Early on in his working life, Jim joined the Water Supply and Disposal Association, and was actively involved in integration of IPENZ’s Technical Group of Water into the New Zealand Water and Waste Association. As an Honorary Life Member of Water New Zealand and a board member in the 1990s, he has attended and has given many technical presentations and several keynote addresses at almost all Water New Zealand conferences.
“I remember when the association was a boot box of bits of paper under the bed in the 70s,” he says. “We’ve come a long way since then.”
He has contributed significantly to the industry, giving his time, energy and expertise to advisory groups, technical committees and working groups. Of note is his involvement in the development of
Aotearoa New Zealand’s first waste strategy, ensuring it was allencompassing and covered all waste, not just solid waste refuse.
Globally, he is a major face and strong voice for the association, serving many years as its representative on the board of directors of the Water Environment Federation. In 1993, he set up the New Zealand chapter of the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers, or 5S as it’s known, and led its activities for the first 27 years.
Consistency is clearly part of his nature – he has worked for what is now Stantec for his entire 54-year career. These days, he’s slowly putting work aside, but he still has the passion that has driven him throughout his career, and he says he enjoys supporting the younger generation and working with community groups.
Jim’s passion for sustainable development and clean technology has inspired many fellow engineers around the world. He has written numerous papers on environmental engineering, and he’s still just as passionate as when he first began, saying we all have a duty to be good local stewards of the environments of our planet.
Jim Bradley with Garry Macdonald.
Finding a new home in water
When Gabriela Campos Cardwell first visited New Zealand in 2014, she fell in love with the country. A welcome opportunity three years later saw her start working with water, and with this she found a new passion. By Mary Searle Bell
Like many water engineers, as a schoolgirl, Gabriela (Gabi) had a keen interest in chemistry and maths, but unlike most Kiwi chemical engineers, she studied for her degree in three different countries and in three different languages.
Born in Lagoa da Brata in Brazil, Gabi wanted to be a pilot in the Air Force but simply wasn’t tall enough to realise that dream. Instead, she chose chemical engineering, something she says has worked out far better.
“Chemical engineering has given me the most amazing career – it offers so many options, you’d never get bored, and it also gives me a much better work-life balance.”
As a university student, Gabi was fortunate to get a couple of government scholarships that enabled her to travel to complete parts of her studies.
“It was a good time for the Brazilian government, they decided to send more than 100,000 students abroad to study sciences and engineering, hoping they’d come back with this knowledge (which they largely have), and I was lucky to do this twice.
“I went to university in Mexico and then came to New Zealand, to the University of Auckland for 18 months. I spent the first six months studying English and the next year doing science and engineering papers.
“I fell in love with New Zealand in the first week and I never wanted to go back to Brazil. I loved the beaches, the hiking, and the lack of corruption.
“But, as part of the scholarship, I did have to go back to Brazil for 18 months, to finish my degree and work. But by then, Brazil was in crisis – there were no jobs and I couldn’t get an engineering graduate role, so I took an analyst job in a pharmaceutical company instead in my hometown. This was good in that it gave me some time with my family before I moved to New Zealand permanently.”
However, when she arrived in 2017, it was very challenging to find work, a challenge faced by many immigrants, and Gabi almost gave up on engineering.
“I was lucky in that I had a couple of ‘angels’ open a door for me at Harrison Grierson, where I got a job as a water and wastewater graduate engineer. From there, I never looked back.
“I guess you could say I fell into the water industry, but I loved it from the beginning – it is so full of purpose. As a process engineer, you’re working to protect people’s health rather than to simply make money for others. For me, it offers the perfect mix of technical work and working with the community. I wouldn’t
want to do anything else.”
Gabi’s work at Harrison Grierson was weighted more towards drinking water, and when she moved across to GHD nearly three years later, this is where she continued to focus.
“There’s infinite knowledge to learn in this field, and I want to become a specialist.”
In April 2023, Gabi took a role as senior regulatory operations advisor with Taumata Arowai in its Hamilton office. The priority for the regulator is ensuring safe drinking water everywhere, every day, something that Gabi is also passionate about.
“I have worked with rural councils all around the country where they don’t have as much technical expertise in-house as they would like and need help – they’re great people to work with.”
Colleague Noah Hensley writes in Gabi’s nomination for Young Water Professional of the Year award that, during her time at Taumata Arowai, she shared her wealth of knowledge of drinking water with her peers, particularly regarding best practices in the provision of safe drinking water.
“She embodies our kaupapa in the water sector and regularly demonstrates her commitment to grow the water sector into one which demonstrates best practice on a regular basis.”
“Gabi was integral in delivering guidance and answering many questions from suppliers regarding interpretation and application of the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules, ensuring drinking water suppliers understood their minimum requirements for providing safe water. She provided consistent advice to the sector while capturing feedback from suppliers on how our guidance and rules might be improved.”
Senior regulatory operations advisor Shine Singh also writes that Gabi excels in fostering a collaborative work environment, encouraging team innovation, and mentoring young professionals.
“The passion and dedication that Gabi brings to her work is evident in every project she undertakes. Her meticulous attention to detail, coupled with her relentless pursuit of excellence, has earned the respect and admiration of peers and stakeholders.”
With these accolades, it is no wonder that Gabi was named as this year’s Young Water Professional of the Year. Honoured and delighted as she was, Gabi says, “I believe you just do your very best every day, regardless of any awards, but I am very grateful to have my work recognised by my peers”.
But Gabi’s passion for the industry is not limited to drinking water: she is also advocating for women and immigrants.
Young Water Professional of the Year, Gabriela Campos Cardwell
A few years ago, Gabi and Natalia Moraga, a process engineer with GHD and immigrant from Chile, conducted a survey and wrote a paper about women and immigrants, particularly those in the water industry.
“We discovered there were a lot of issues, especially around new mothers, and women facing prejudice in the industry.
“The water industry is in need of talent but it is not providing enough support to get new immigrants up to speed with industry standards and the way New Zealand works. This is a wasted opportunity. Supporting them is good for them and good for the industry.”
Throughout her career, Gabi has also worked for Engineers Without Borders NZ as both a volunteer and an employee supporting projects focused on improving the provision of safe drinking water in the Pacific.
Her most recent contribution to the industry as a volunteer was with the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), where she went through multiple roles – Auckland committee member, Auckland committee chair, New Zealand board member, and finally, she was elected member of the IChemE international congress. In this latest role, she represented New Zealand and young professionals in chemical engineering on a global scale.
“These volunteering experiences were key to helping develop my leadership and communication skills. I want to focus on
international development volunteering in the future and making use of my drinking water technical skills to help less privileged countries. I will be looking for opportunities in this area.”
It’s been an eventful few months for Gabi. In July, she started a new role as senior planning engineer (water treatment) at Watercare, in September, she got married, and returned from her honeymoon to head straight to the Water New Zealand Conference & Expo awards dinner, where she was celebrated by her peers.
In her thank you speech, she acknowledged the support she received early on from Iain Rabbitts and Ian Ho at Harrison Grierson, who opened the door for her to enter the industry.
“I strongly admire them, and am blessed to be able to learn from them and the other technically capable professionals at Harrison Grierson and GHD, along with my outstanding excolleagues at Taumata Arowai. I’ve had the honour of working with so many amazing people and having excellent mentors over the years.”
As for her new role with Watercare, she is excited for the future: “There is no end of opportunities working with drinking water in Auckland. The city is facing many interesting challenges, particularly around servicing a growing population.
“I love it – to be part of the team that is planning the drinking water projects for the next 30 years and making them happen.”
Putting family first proves a winning strategy
After eight years as a stay-at-home mother, Kemble Slotemaker’s relationship ended, and she found herself with shared custody of her three young children and in need of a job. Crucially, that job needed to work around her primary role as a mother. As such, she wasn’t picky – she was willing to try anything that would pay the bills. By Mary
Searle Bell
Long-time friend Aidan Fraser told her of a short-term contract role he had going in his team at Downer. He needed someone to do restrictor checks and cleans on the rural water schemes around the Tasman district – the beauty of this job is that it was flexible; on weeks when she had her children, she would work 8:30-3pm, and alternate weeks had her doing 10-hour days.
“I had previous experience working in orchards, so knew I liked working outside. I was very grateful for the threemonth role, but wasn’t sure this would be something that was forever. However, from day one, I loved it.
“I had a great team of really cool people who were very supportive and willing to share their knowledge. I loved the variety the job gave me, and I loved being on the road. Better still, I love all the possibilities in the water sector.”
Even while she was still in a temporary role, Kemble started doing some training in routine maintenance and asset management. And then, in a stroke of perfect timing, she was given a full-time role in the maintenance team.
“This was just before Covid, and at that time a lot of part timers were let go, so I was very lucky.”
Since then, Kemble has thrown herself completely into the water industry, starting at Aidan’s recommendation by completing her Certificate in Pipeline Maintenance.
“Those guys make it look so easy, but it’s actually incredibly hard work.
“While I enjoyed it, I didn’t think it was the direction I wanted to head long term. So, when an opening came up in the water treatment team, I applied. Now, I share the role month about with another woman – I do a month in water treatment then switch with her into routine maintenance.
“This is great as it gives me a deeper understanding of water treatment processes. There’s so much to learn.”
After finishing a two-year water apprenticeship programme, Kemble began studying towards a NZ Certificate in Drinking Water Treatment in February this year and is on track to have it finished in the next few months.
Her consistent dedication to her work and education saw her named as Trainee of the Year at the Water New Zealand awards in September.
In her award nomination, Downer marketing and communications manager Alexa Langdale writes that Kemble puts a lot of effort into learning about drinking water standards and helps with the operation of 15 water treatment plants in the Tasman region.
“Kemble already has many achievements that she is incredibly proud of. Notably, she was involved in the complete upgrade of a rural reservoir that will provide clean drinking water to her local community for years to come.
“Additionally, Kemble has been instrumental in collaborating with multiple stakeholders to enhance rural water intakes and implement improvements to strengthen them against extreme weather events. This project also helped make the intakes easier to maintain, therefore increasing the life of the assets for the Tasman District Council.
“The most recent project Kemble has been involved in was accompanying a Tasman District Council engineer to all the reservoirs across the region and assisting him to conduct internal inspections with the use of an underwater drone. This initiative highlighted her innovative spirit and proactive efforts in adopting cutting-edge technologies to ensure the longevity and functionality of critical water infrastructure.”
Beyond her technical interest and proficiency, Kemble has become a valued team member because of her commitment to both leadership and her community. She has excellent communication skills and has built strong relationships with her teammates, landowners, and clients.
Water Trainee of the Year winner, Kemble Slotemaker
But more than that, Kemble is committed to her family.
“My kids are my priority. At 14, 12 and eight, they are time intensive with all the sports and other activities. My kids come first, but Downer understands this. On the flip side, as a female working in a male-dominated industry, I want to show my children that they can do anything they put their minds to.
“Once they’ve grown and flown, I would like to travel with my work – I love the Nelson region but it’s good for your knowledge to get out and see the wider world. I’ve done a lot with rural schemes so I’d like to see how other countries address this, and I’d like to visit the ‘super’ plants to see world-leading water treatment schemes.”
However, she has quite a few years before this will happen, and she has a few ideas for the interim: “I’d definitely like to do more with water – I’m quite interested in stormwater and caring for waterways. I’m also keen to work in our projects team – they’re currently putting in water tanks and relaying pipework and it would be cool to jump in on that.”
This willingness to learn and try new things is a real asset to her team.
“Her proactive approach during the summer months, monitoring rural water meters and swiftly addressing anomalies, significantly contributed to maintaining compliance with resource consents and safeguarding water resources during drought conditions,” writes Alexa.
“Her dedication to knowledge sharing and teamwork ensures that the collective efforts of the team result in the best possible service delivery for our customers and our community.
“Kemble’s mentorship of younger women entering the water industry reflects her commitment to empowering and inspiring the next generation of professionals. She leads by example, emphasising the importance of a positive attitude and consistently achieving excellence as a cohesive team.”
And the team is largely what has driven Kemble to excel in her job.
“I can’t say enough about the people I work with. The entire five years I’ve been with Downer they’ve been so supportive. Greg Black, the routine maintenance foreman, understands what it is to be there for the kids, but he’s also been great at helping me develop my career and in sharing his knowledge.
“Of course there’s Aiden, who has been so supportive – he’s always there to answer questions. If you show him you want to push yourself, he’s behind you 110 percent.
“And Simon and Gareth, who oversee Downer’s water teams, who put my name forward for the Trainee of the Year award; this was a real compliment in itself. I couldn’t attend the ceremony as I was holidaying in Rome with my mum and sisters, but my manager Becky messaged me from the event saying, ‘you’ve won’. I was really quite shocked, but it was a nice surprise and a great way to finish my trip.”
Finding his feet and calling
“If they knew how much I love my job, they’d stop paying me,” Chris Oord jokes as he prepares to take a boat out at Lower Nihotupu Dam in Auckland’s Waitākere Ranges. “I spent my youth surfing and tramping out here with my mates, and now I get to work in this beautiful place every day.”
His role as a dam technician at Watercare means he spends most of his working week at the five Waitākere Ranges dams that supply about 20 percent of Auckland’s drinking water. He and his colleagues on the headworks team are responsible for the routine inspection of these dams as well as three water supply dams in Helensville, and wastewater retention dams all the way up to Wellsford.
“We’re here to pick up small change. Big problems are always easier to fix when they start off as small problems.”
The role is both structured and flexible. The team has lists of daily, weekly, monthly and annual inspections and checks – but each dam technician manages their own work programme.
“As well as the critical inspections, we do a lot of project management of maintenance work and also support other Watercare staff – for example, our hydrologists who come out here to calibrate and check our remote rain gauges and dam level instrumentation.
“We’ve also started holding regular tours with student engineers or high school groups out at Waitākere Dam – Auckland’s oldest dam. I enjoy taking these tours – I think it’s really important to get people out to these places to see where their water comes from and help them understand the whole system a bit better. It is also great to show young tamariki that these cool jobs exist.
“In this role, you get the opportunity to be really independent, to be out in these beautiful spaces on your own. But we also work really well as a team. It probably helps that we are not cooped up together in an office for the full 40-hour week!
“We’re similar minded – we enjoy nature and being outside, we’re practical and we like fixing things and problem-solving.
“I’m very lucky to have an awesome boss – operations controller AJ Grobler. He’s understanding, caring and the right person for the role. The skills he brought from the Nerve Centre really strengthened the team.
“One of the things I love in Watercare is how passionate people are about their jobs and what they do. People do really care… there’s more than just people coming for a pay cheque.”
Before the water industry engulfed him five years ago, Chris had already had an incredibly varied career. Having struggled with the rigidity of classroom learning at high school, he left without a clear idea of what he wanted to do, and went to the Netherlands to explore his Dutch roots.
Chris Oord
There, he worked as a ground steward at Amsterdam’s airport, doing everything from checking in passengers and connecting air bridges to meeting celebrities, including Lionel Richie and the boy band Five.
When he returned home a few years later, he began an electrical apprenticeship – a career that soon evolved to managing electrical departments in the boat-building industry. He worked on ferries and superyachts, where sometimes his office for the day was up the top of a 96-metre-tall mast.
When that no longer floated his boat, he moved to an automation company, specialising in packaging robots and equipment for food processing and manufacturing. But he soon realised he found little satisfaction in this type of work – and instead took up the role of greenskeeper at Titirangi Golf Course.
“This gave me better hours and better job satisfaction. My kids were young at the time, and I could finish at 2.30pm to pick them up from school.
“My mum always thought I was just mowing grass but there’s actually a real science to sports turf agronomy.”
Diagnoses bring relief
In his 30s, Chris was having some difficult times and after a referral to a psychiatrist by his GP, he was diagnosed with ADHD. This was a massive relief for him.
“I’d known there were complexities to my learning, and if I wasn’t really into a subject it was really difficult for me to retain that information.
“But being diagnosed with ADHD and being prescribed Ritalin made me feel like I could go and do any profession. My learning wasn’t limited anymore. I felt empowered with my brain working – like what was my three-wheeled race car of a brain finally got its fourth wheel.”
A few years later he was diagnosed with autism – an experience that let him show a part of himself he’d kept under lock and key.
“For me, I was really hiding about 15 percent of how I was experiencing the world. At an early age I stopped telling people what I was experiencing because it was always met with the response of ‘No, it’s not like that – you’re too sensitive’. Being diagnosed really makes you hate less on yourself for your differences – because you have a reason and it is not in your control and not your fault.”
Chris says as a school student he was written off by teachers as a naughty kid, who didn’t concentrate enough, or try hard enough.
“The reality was, I was actually trying harder than everyone else. Now, being able to talk to people about the hypersensitivities I have through my autism, allows me to be more myself.”
Finding his calling
It was his sister Mirjam who encouraged Chris to apply for the dam technician role at Watercare. She’d worked in the people team, and knew the job would appeal to her nature-loving little brother.
Chris says he soon realised his ADHD was an asset in this role.
“I find my skills at spotting change and anomalies are really useful, because that’s what I’m here for – to spot small change or something that shouldn’t be there.
“I thought the job would be awesome before I started, but being able to find something that you’re good at and you enjoy – it’s even greater than I thought it would be.
“I get a lot of praise for ‘good spotting’. Growing up with undiagnosed neurodiversities, you don’t get told you’re good at much.”
Chris’s boss AJ describes him as an asset to the headworks team.
“Chris is currently mentoring our two new starters – he’s always keen to help out where he can and share his knowledge.
“He’s our health and safety rep and he absolutely thrives in that role. He always gives 100 percent and is passionate about a lot of things, but most of all about the health and safety of our people.
He’s always advocating for best practice and raising awareness.”
Chris recently worked with Watercare’s learning and development team to create a learning module about gas monitors – and has been getting great feedback.
The job also means he can indulge his passions for botany, wildlife, history and amateur photography.
One of the highlights is the eels trap and haul season. The headworks team is responsible for providing transport assistance to both juvenile eels looking to get into our dams and continue upstream, as well as mature eels in the water supply lakes who are ready to head back to the ocean to breed.
“Since working with eels, I’ve gained so much respect for them,” Chris says. “It’s amazing what they do – their life cycle – and I like to be part of helping that life cycle. Having lots of eels means healthy water, so I’m definitely on board.”
He says the pristine native bush and photogenic water supply lakes make the perfect office.
“It’s 100 percent good for your mental health. I think working out in this environment full of beauty, you can’t help but be in a good mood.
“For many dam technicians, it’s a really good launching pad into the business. But I see it as something I want to do for the next 20 years. I’m really happy here.”
Article provided by Watercare
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When our wai can run dry
Wellington Water and its council owners’ response to the water shortage risk
With increasing leaks, growing water use, and aging infrastructure, summer 2023/24 presented a tricky set of challenges for the Wellington region’s water service provider and its council owners who own and fund the water assets in the region.
Every year Wellington Water provides its council owners advice on water supply and the likelihood of water restrictions during the summer months. For the 2023/24 summer, modelling indicated a real risk of an acute water shortage and the need for tighter water restrictions in the metropolitan region (Wellington City, Porirua City, Lower Hutt, and Upper Hutt) due to a sharp increase in leaks on the public network and private properties.
For the preceding 12-month period, Wellington Water estimated that around 45 percent of water being supplied was being lost through leaks.
Increasing leaks was a symptom of historical underinvestment into renewing and maintaining the drinking water network. The region’s pipes were aging at a faster rate than they were being replaced, with many pipes nearing or past their operational lives.
Other compounding factors that made for a challenging summer were increasing water use and the El Niño weather pattern predicted, meaning demand was projected to potentially outstrip supply if the region faced even an average summer.
To reduce the risk of tighter water restrictions and potential water shortages, further action was needed, and fast.
The organisational response
Wellington Water had to move quickly to realign priorities, with the summer risk becoming top of the list. Consistent communication of the risk of tighter water restrictions with its council owners and the Wellington Water Committee had occurred for several years, with detailed analysis and predictions presented in formal papers and committee meetings.
In July 2023, due to increasing water
loss through leaks, the organisation highlighted an emerging risk of an acute water shortage or the need to move quickly to Water Restriction Level 4, where residents may have had to significantly reduce their water use rapidly.
The councils, in turn, leaned in to support the response and help spread the word with their communities. This early action and coordinated support from councils was fundamental to building understanding within the public which in turn helped bolster the call to prepare.
Wellington Water’s Acute Water Shortage Risk team led the internal response, working across the organisation to identify, assess, and implement risk reduction opportunities. They worked alongside the organisation’s Drought
Management Group, who comprise of Wellington Water’s core group of experts that monitor water supply and demand every summer, and provide councils with advice on which restriction levels to put in place to manage residential water use.
Driving down leaks was (and remains) key, with crews working around the clock to find and fix leaks.
A focus on continuous improvement meant that data analysis and leak prioritisation processes were refined, reducing the time needed on unnecessary investigations and leading to a decrease in the average repair cost over time.
Councils recognised the risk and worked to increase investment in leak fixes, which enabled additional repairs to be made during summer.
Wellington Water needed to be ready to shift into a Level 3 or Level 4 response. To enable this, a decision was made to prioritise channels that could be updated within 24 to 48 hours, like digital billboards and bus shelters.
The pressure management programme offered significant benefits. By reducing pressure in areas of the network, pressure management reduces the chance of leaks occurring as well as disruption to customers and damage being done to pipes. It also means that if a leak does occur, water loss is minimised.
Across Wellington, neighbourhoods were trialled to ensure the benefits were realised without affecting residents.
Collaboration and community engagement
While operational activities were in motion to manage the network as well as possible within the funding made available to Wellington Water, the constraints of an aging network and limited resources meant the organisation could only achieve a limited level of mitigation against the risk for the summer.
This meant that asking the public to help out by reducing their water use remained the only lever available to avoid the need for tighter water restrictions.
The organisation’s focus then was to ensure that residents and the public were aware of the acute risk for the summer, to encourage people to conserve water and follow the current water restrictions, and ensure people knew what they could do to prepare if an acute water shortage or Water Restriction Level 4 did occur.
Plans for a potential emergency response or shift beyond Water Restriction Level 4 were vital, but as water connects us all, it was clear that the strongest response would be one built through people and collaboration.
Councils, Wellington Water, the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) and other public agencies met regularly to monitor the situation and plan responses for possible emergency-level scenarios.
A multi-agency emergency planning exercise was held, to ensure all parties were clear on the risks, understood each other’s capabilities, and had clarity on roles and responsibilities.
Across Aotearoa, water restrictions and water conservation are nothing new. Water Restriction Level 1 is in place all year round for Upper Hutt and South Wairarapa, and every year it automatically comes into effect with Daylight Savings in September for the other metropolitan
councils – Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Wellington City.
Communications about water restrictions and water conservation are executed regularly, but this year was different. Increasing visible leaks, a general apathy around water conservation, and a Wellingtonian’s perception that water is free and plentiful presented some tough challenges when it came to influencing behaviour change.
In the wider cultural context, a general election and a cost-of-living crisis complicated public communications, making for a crowded arena in which the message could struggle to get cut-through.
On top of this, the Wellington region is home to diverse communities and the media landscape is constantly shifting. With the potential impact on public safety of an acute water shortage, reaching a broad audience was more than an objective, it was a responsibility.
The campaign strategy
A strategic approach was needed to tackle the dual tasks of communicating the very real risk of a water shortage and motivating behaviour change across the region. There was a complex story to tell, that needed to be clear, credible and taken seriously.
To achieve this, Wellington Water ran the ‘Our wai can run dry’ campaign, which utilised a three-step strategy:
1. Highlight the risk: Emphasise the urgency of the situation to ensure people understood the issue and were primed to take action.
2. Explain the why: Provide clear explanations and data to support the messages about the reasons behind the water shortage.
3. Encourage preparedness: Offer practical advice on how individuals and businesses could prepare for water restrictions and potential shortages.
Social license was key to ensure that people sat up, paid attention, and understood the risk. This would be crucial in the summer if the need arose to ask people to significantly reduce their water use in a water shortage.
The risk itself needed to be raised early, to enable people to prepare. But this had to be balanced with the fact that the risk was present over a prolonged period. This required underlying consistent, measured messaging overlayed with periods of high
activity to reduce the chance of longerterm audience fatigue.
Flexibility was vital – it needed to be built into the campaign, due to the fluidity of the situation. As the risk increased, Wellington Water needed to be ready to shift into a Level 3 or Level 4 response. To enable this, a decision was made to prioritise channels that could be updated within 24 to 48 hours, like digital billboards and bus shelters, online advertising and social media and to prepare a suite of assets ready to go live.
Campaign execution
The campaign utilised a diverse range of media channels, including paid advertising, social media, traditional media, and a campaign website.
In particular, having councils, other authorities, and key stakeholders share and extend the reach of Wellington Water’s messages was crucial. Wellington Water worked closely with councils, WREMO and other key external stakeholders to connect with their audiences. This helped boost credibility and allowed Wellington Water to reach a wider set of audiences.
Underlying all this was consistent messaging around the work Wellington Water and councils were doing to address the problem: finding and fixing leaks, renewing aging pipes to prevent leaks, capital infrastructure projects to increase supply, and consistent network management and calming.
This helped assure residents that the organisation and councils were working together to do all they could to reduce the risk and monitor the situation.
Campaign results
The campaign was successful in raising awareness about the water shortage risk and motivating the public to take action. The results included:
• High levels of public awareness (85 percent believed there was a risk of tighter water restrictions, 84 percent believed there was a risk of a water shortage).
• Increased media interest.
• Councils reporting a significant increase in water tank sales, particularly in the lead up to the critical summer risk period.
The most important indicator of success for the summer is the level of water the
region was able to conserve and whether a move to tighter restrictions was needed.
Not only did the region avoid going to Water Restriction Level 3, but modelling shows that the region saved over 400 million litres of water over the summer. In fact, NIWA modelling shows a potential saving of around 1600 million litres.
As the region moved through a long summer and risk reduction mahi continued, it was heartening to see the communities’ response.
Preparedness was of increasing importance, with sales of water tanks growing quickly. Wellington City Council water tank sales went from 367 over summer 2022/23, to 1224 over summer 2023/24. Upper Hutt City Council sold 1091, Porirua City Council sold 460, and Hutt City Council sold 653.
This couldn’t have been done without a team effort. Wellington Water, councils, WREMO and agencies working together – and vitally, the public pitching in and doing their part to use less water.
While Wellington Water and councils own the responsibility of delivering safe drinking water to communities, this past summer has highlighted a growing sense of shared responsibility for water conservation and positive behaviour change.
Moving Forward
Moving forward, Wellington Water and councils continue to work closely to reduce the risk in summers to come, and balance supply and demand. Agreeing with Taumata Arowai that early and sustained action is key, work continues to reduce demand across the network by 7.4 million litres a day, by February 2025.
Councils led by prioritising water in their investment decisions, providing additional funding at the end of 2023 which enabled Wellington Water to ramp up leak repairs in early 2024. This has led to a rapid decline in leaks across the network, driving down water loss.
With leak repairs a ‘band-aid’ rather
Social license was key to ensure that people sat up, paid attention, and believed in the risk. This would be crucial in the summer if the need arose to ask people to significantly reduce their water use in a water shortage.
than a long-term solution, they’re only one piece of the puzzle. Fixing leaks doesn’t prevent new leaks from occurring – so investment in pipe renewals is integral to reduce and maintain water loss at a sustainable level.
Active management of the drinking water network continues with pressure management and network calming activities. Wellington Water and councils are also working at pace to deliver a project to increase the supply capacity at Te Mārua Water Treatment Plant, which is expected to provide an extra 60MLD of supply into the network by early 2025.
Article provided by Wellington Water
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Understanding the risk of acute gastrointestinal disease from contaminated drinking water
Scientists are using latest metagenomic technology to identify the presence of acute gastrointestinal disease-causing microbes in drinking water as part of a Te Niwha-funded project to understand the real risk of contaminated water to human health.
Te Niwha is the national infectious diseases research platform and involves scientists from universities, crown and private research institutes in partnership with communities to best protect Aotearoa New Zealand from current and emerging infectious diseases.
The ‘Burden of waterborne diseases’ project is led by the Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, University of Canterbury’s associate professor Dr Tim Chambers and Connor Redmile of Te Kura Taka Pini, the Ngāi Tahu freshwater group, with support from the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
Tim says an estimated 18,000 to 34,000 people in Aotearoa develop acute gastrointestinal disease (AGI) each year from contaminated drinking water supplies. However this estimate was completed almost 20 years ago.
He says results from the Te Niwha-funded project will clarify the public health burden of contaminated drinking water, identify parts of the country’s water infrastructure most likely contributing to this burden, and areas and communities most affected. It will also provide national and local water authorities direction on ways to minimise the impact of water-borne diseases from drinking water.
“Information from the project will provide insights into both the risk and best interventions to ensure all New Zealanders have access to clean drinking water.”
Tim says smaller supplies are often at greater risk of contamination and associated waterborne disease. This includes people on domestic self-supplied water that is not covered by drinking water regulation.
“An important part of the project has been to trial a testing and training programme that supports community water providers. We are doing the trial with marae throughout the South Island.”
Connor Redmile developed and carried out the training and testing programme with key people from 19 marae in the takiwā.
He says the programme provides training on key issues around drinking water safety, how to collect water samples, analyse results and assess appropriate treatment options.
“Samples collected from marae Māngai Wai Māori Water Champions are sent to ESR and tested for the indicator bacteria E. coli.
“We are also trialling the use of state-of-the art metagenomics testing. This new tool allows us to look at all microorganisms present rather than just one indicator bacteria. Tracking differences in the microbial communities present in the water can provide better information on potential risks present in both the source and treated water.
“This surveillance tool can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of local water treatment systems on the microbiological communities present.”
Connor says the project has created a network of water champions who can share their knowledge with their community and ensure safe drinking water as well as complying with legislation.
Te Niwha mana whakahaere Te Pora Thompson says the waterborne diseases project is one of a number funded by Te Niwha that provide robust evidence and solutions for infectious diseases present in or able to be detected in water.
ESR is leading two studies involving water and infectious diseases:
One is monitoring the use of wastewater from aircraft and communal buildings to better detect the presence of infectious diseases. Wastewater sampling was used during the Covid-19 pandemic to identify the presence of the virus in areas.
A second ESR-led project looks at how best to conduct surveillance and reporting for emerging diseases threats carried by water, using the bacteria Vibrio as a case study. Vibrio infections present as gastroenteritis or tissue infections that can be mild or very serious. The bacteria live in aquatic environments and people become infected from eating contaminated kaimoana (seafood) or coming into contact with contaminated water.
Te Niwha Kia Niwha fellow Dr Rose Collis of AgResearch leads a project using environmental DNA (eDNA) to determine if freshwater samples and spiderwebs can be used to monitor the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment.
Article provided by ESR. Water New Zealand’s Sampling 101 Digital Badge was modified to support this mahi, resulting in Ngai Tahu Māngai Wai Māori Digital Training Course.
Game changing water management
Waiaroha is a world-first combined hi-tech drinking water treatment and storage facility and three waters education centre. It supplies clean, safe drinking water to Hastings using 21st century technology and processes –a huge step up from drawing water from the aquifer and providing it untreated into taps. But it is so much more than that.
The discovery centre and its landscaping are helping people of all ages and stages to understand all things water: maunga to moana, from a te ao Māori and a scientific perspective; helping us learn from the past to guide us through the future.
The landscaping tells the story of the water sources and its journey to the sea – supplying people on the way; while a walkway and expansive window overlooking the treatment room helps people understand how we make drinking water safe.
The landscaping includes hands-on water engineering fun, and messaging around where the water comes from, how much we use every day, and information on the creatures –including us – who rely on it.
Inside the education centre, there are more fun learning opportunities designed to spark curiosity and inspire adults and children to explore, discuss new ideas, and be passionate about looking after this precious taonga.
The purpose-built discovery centre, believed to be a first in the world, is premised on everyone understanding that water is critical to survival, that you cannot pull apart the three waters – to impact one is to impact all, the important part we all play in protecting water, and how we might do better in this space.
Every year, councils put out water messages, things like: ‘it’s dry – conserve water’, ‘don’t litter - it washes into our stormwater and into our streams/sea’, ‘your business must have onsite stormwater storage’; ‘only pee, poo and paper down the loo’. In Hastings’ case, the season-driven messaging on the need to treat, save, and protect water and the environment was not taken seriously, as it was believed that the aquifers were protected by an impervious ‘cap’ and the supply was endless.
The facility was completed and officially opened in October 2023, leading to the implementation phase. These fell into two distinct lanes – the drinking water infrastructure, and the Waiaroha Discovery Centre and landscaping.
The turning point for Hastings was in 2016, when the need for education on the protection and management of water was drastically highlighted by the Havelock North campylobacter outbreak. That crisis led to the development of the Hastings District Council Drinking Water Strategy.
Refining the drivers
During early development of that strategy, the focus was, unsurprisingly, on the treatment of drinking water to keep it safe. But at the same time, conversations were happening on the knowledge gaps.
Before the Havelock North crisis, it was generally believed that the aquifers below Heretaunga were impervious to contamination. It was also widely believed that the supply was ‘unlimited’ and that, as long as water came out when you turned the tap on, everything was fine. All assumptions, based on little other than belief – a clear gap in our community and institutional knowledge.
Therefore, the two problems to be solved were providing safe drinking water and filling in those knowledge gaps to ensure water and the wider environment are protected – particularly as the climate changes.
Waiaroha’s treatment and storage elements (alongside one other major site and seven smaller community water treatment facilities) does just as it says on the tin – drinking water is safely treated using the latest technology before being piped to residents’ homes.
The tanks at the site, each holding five million litres, also provide an emergency water supply in the event of an earthquake that ruptures pipes. The tanks meet BRANZ Seismic Resilience IL (importance level) 4 standard – appropriate for structures that must remain standing in an earthquake (or other disaster) and be operational immediately afterwards.
The discovery centre is a highly engaging facility with real learning opportunities that attracts schools, community groups and individuals to learn about water, aimed at leading a generational change in attitudes to how we respect, manage, and treat water.
It is used for water-focused hui, community consultations, thinktank workshops and stakeholder engagement; in short, ensuring that water, as the lifeblood of everything, is front and centre at all times.
That need to be ‘in everyone’s face’ was one of several reasons its prominent position in the middle of the city was chosen. The decision was not without its detractors, who believed it would be a blot on the landscape.
However, its proximity to the bores it needed to source water from and the pipes it needed to feed into (both saving significant cost), as well as its focus as an education facility that needed to be easily accessible got the decision, and the design elements included to make it more attractive, over the line.
And it is achieving its aims. In the nine months that it has been open, school groups, industry organisations, mana whenua groups, senior citizens groups, tourism companies and organisations, and politicians from far and wide have toured the facility and given it high praise.
Our critical partner
The site and its elements have been developed based on bestpractice science and engineering, te ao Māori, and comprehensive community engagement.
There is no doubt about the community relevance of the project:
no one wanted another contamination event, but finding a solution acceptable to the majority required intense community engagement and solid input from East Coast iwi Ngati Kahungunu.
For Waiaroha’s education centre, then-Ngati Kahungunu chair Ngahiwi Tōmoana nominated Hira Huata as cultural advisor to the Waiaroha project, working with the council’s project team and consultants Designgroup Stapleton Elliot, Stitchbird and Wayfinder, taking them on a learning journey to enable them to bring te ao Māori to life in the indoor and outdoor learning spaces.
Hira’s input has been invaluable, not only in developing the resources, but also in entrenching an understanding of water from a Māori perspective within the council’s operational, technical, and planning teams.
Bringing the community with us
Wide public engagement was held at every level, from site selection, to design, to the educational and landscaping elements. On top of that, primary and secondary schools were consulted on what they would need in the space for it to work with the curriculum. Likeminded organisations (Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, NIWA, Water New Zealand) also contributed educational resource specialist input.
Having the site in the city was probably the biggest hurdle to overcome. Public engagement and consultation on that began in 2019.
The initial concept drew negative feedback, both on the site and the infrastructure design – particularly the height of what was then just one tank. There was also a misconception that the facility would include a ‘water museum’ (rather than an education space) which was not popular with residents.
It sent Council back to the drawing board.
A new concept (with a lower profile) was developed along with clear reminder messaging on why the council was carrying out the project (linking back to the Havelock North water crisis), and why it was so important for people to fully understand water.
Many hui were held, both on and off-site; comprehensive FAQs developed; and a full social media and traditional media campaign instigated. Given everyone would be paying for it and seeing it, it was a ‘no stone unturned’ campaign.
Particular attention was paid to those living near the site. They were the ones who would be looking at it every day and had the most concerns about noise and perceived risks. Project engineers went door knocking as they were the best-placed to answer the aesthetic and safety questions.
With the build underway, the predominant messaging to the wider public focused on progress updates, always linked to the ‘why’ – keeping drinking water safe and providing intergenerational education on the importance of water and how to protect and conserve it.
Bringing Waiaroha to life
The facility was completed and officially opened in October 2023, leading to the implementation phase. These fell into two distinct lanes – the drinking water infrastructure, and the Waiaroha Discovery Centre and landscaping.
The infrastructure implementation went as expected, with comprehensive testing of the engineering elements before the supply was turned on in March 2024.
With regard to the educational elements, much work was
undertaken during the build, with the implementation phase focused on rolling out those elements, including education-specific on-line and on-site resources, hosting introductory events, moving water-related consultations to the site, and hosting water-related hui in the whare.
Content in the education space will be an ongoing evolving process, to ensure it remains up-to-date, relevant, and engaging.
A particular aim for the education centre was to inspire the students of today to be the water scientists and engineers of the future – to help find more environmentally-sustainable, holistic ways to manage our water – particularly the treatment of fresh water for drinking and wastewater before disposal.
With regard to the water treatment and storage facility, quality assurance processes were applied across all stages, including quantity survey reviews, procurement, early contractor engagement and tender preparation. Management and maintenance protocols by suitably qualified operational staff will ensure the facility meets its expected 100-year life.
The built elements of the educational facility have also been constructed to meet or exceed quality standards, and the longevity of the programmes and resources, are underpinned by the strong support of Hastings mayor and councillors, their iwi partners, and supporting organisations.
Since its opening, the public has flocked to the facility. Before the end of the 2023 school year, 15 schools and early education centres had visited, and in the 17 school weeks so far this year, another 48 had been through.
The visitation levels and feedback have been nothing short of phenomenal and the children’s reactions have been particularly gratifying:
• ‘I liked learning about the birds and the fish and the eels.’
• ‘This place is so fun.’
• ‘This is so cool, and you learn new things.’
• ‘I like all the different types of sand and how water gets to our home. I’ve had a good experience.’
• ‘This is the best day ever.’ And from adults:
• ‘Awesome place for tamariki to get into; love it.’
• ‘Good mahi; wonderful place. Kia ora.’
• ‘The manaaki that has gone into Waiaroha can be felt from the moment you arrive.’
• ‘Love this space; engaging and informative, kia ora.’
• ‘Brilliant; very educational.’
The learning for the Hastings District Council – and potentially other councils – is that (despite chatter to the contrary) there is strong interest in what the council does in the infrastructure space and in the council’s and community’s effects on the environment.
It is a concrete example, both in terms of the public push-back against the first concepts which led to a far better outcome, and the success of the facility since opening, of the benefits of taking the community along ‘on the ride’.
Arguably, there is nothing more important to humankind, and therefore our communities, than water. All councils are grappling with ever-rising standards across all three waters and the inevitable cost of them, climate change and its impacts, and the need to protect both people and the environment.
With political will, a strong relationship with mana whenua, and supportive partner organisations, the approach and philosophy that underpins Waiaroha – bringing the ‘strands’ of three water together to help a community understand, protect, and conserve water – is within the ambit and capability of all councils.
That philosophy is the critical bit: the resources might be on-line, in a purpose-built building like the Waiaroha education centre, or added to existing infrastructure within easy reach of populated areas. For councils needing to build new three waters infrastructure, don’t rule out putting it in the middle of your city – and add that education element!
The discovery centre is a highly engaging facility with real learning opportunities that attracts schools, community groups and individuals to learn about water, aimed at leading a generational change in attitudes to how we respect, manage, and treat water.
Advanced pipe-lining solutions
Brian Perry Civil + PipeWorks and NordiTube were among many exhibitors at the recent Water NZ Conference, drawing significant attention with their advanced pipe-lining solutions and cutting-edge technology.
During the conference, three main points emerged as critical to understanding the impact and capabilities of the lining technology presented by PipeWorks and NordiTube:
1 | Lack of knowledge and understanding of lining technology
Despite the growing interest in pipe-lining as a solution, there remains a noticeable gap in knowledge and understanding of the technology and the benefits it offers. Many professionals within the industry are still unfamiliar with how this technology works and the various applications it can serve. Lining technology is not just about fixing issues temporarily; it’s a comprehensive solution designed to enhance the integrity and longevity of water systems.
2 | Versatile applications across all three waters
One of the standout features of the liners showcased at the event is their versatility. These liners can be used for structural and non-structural applications across all
three waters: drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater. This flexibility means that the same technology can be adapted to different scenarios, making it a cost-effective and efficient choice for a variety of projects. These liners help maintain the integrity of water networks, reducing maintenance costs and extending the lifespan of existing infrastructure.
3 | Long-term durability: a 50-year design life
A significant advantage of the PipeWorks and NordiTube lining technology is its impressive durability. Our liners are designed with a 50-year design life, ensuring a robust and reliable solution for decades. This long-term approach not only reduces the need for frequent repairs but also provides peace of mind that the infrastructure will remain sound and functional over time.
Our partnership with NordiTube means we are the only supplier in Aotearoa offering the complete line up of lining technology. This enables us to get involved early in planning stage of projects and tailor solutions to the specific needs of each project. By combining innovation with proven performance, PipeWorks and NordiTube are looking to set the new standard for rehabilitation solutions in New Zealand.
Jaco Griessel—PipeWorks Manager
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A Reflection on Evolving Drinking Water Legislation
By Deborah Prus-Loughlin, water treatment technical manager –Australasia, White International NZ
Proposed new legislation is expected to remove the shared domestic supplier rules under the Water Services Act. Drinking water safety for this group will default back to decades-old legislation. So who will enforce requirements to supply safe drinking water to this group?
As we stand on the crossroads of our evolving drinking water legislation, it seems timely and prudent to remember why we began this journey in the first place. Water is, after all, literally the second most important thing in our lives (air being first).
The Havelock North Campylobacter outbreak of 2016 brought light on to the dark horse that is delivery of drinking water. The resulting reports showed that we had been unable to keep the promises made around the safety of drinking water to our consumers, and that the standards that we held ourselves to weren’t keeping up with international standards.
We have made some good improvements and strides towards drinking water safety since the Water Services Act 2021 was introduced and Taumata Arowai took over regulation. But thus far, it has not been enough to prevent yet another outbreak in a major town.
We had a Cryptosporidium outbreak in Queenstown in 2023. Not through a natural disaster or anything other than the lack of basic barriers and protections being in place.
If we go back to the basic definition of Potable Water given in the Building Act 2004, Section 7: Potable water means water that (a) is safe to drink; and (b) complies with the drinking water standards. The Act then goes on to state in section 123(c) that a building is insanitary if it does not have an adequate supply of potable water.
The Water Services Act 2021 sets out a duty to comply with drinking water standards and to supply safe drinking water.
The Health Act has been around since 1956, and section 39 states:
“It shall not be lawful for any person to erect or rebuild any building intended for use as a dwellinghouse, or for any person to sell, or let, or sublet, or permit to be occupied as a dwellinghouse, any building or part of a building, unless in every such case sufficient provision is made in accordance with the building code and the Building Act 2004 for the following matters, that is to say, (a) an adequate and convenient supply of water that is potable (as defined in section 69G), available for the inmates of the dwelling.”
So how is it that we are still lacking in basic drinking water safety this far into the 21st century? The laws have been in place for a long time, 1956 was 68 years ago, there should be no building in New Zealand without potable water
When we think about water, do we give it the respect that is due to the second most important thing in our lives?
In August 2024, some fact sheets were released indicating some
updates that the current government is looking to make around Drinking Water Quality regulation.
Reading the above, you might think that the intention of these changes is to ensure that more people have access to safe drinking water.
However much of it seems to be around managing costs. Are costs an important part of drinking water safety? Of course they are, they always have been. But are we giving priority in our available resources to the second most important thing in our lives?
As part of the Havelock North enquiry, we identified a major issue with our previous drinking water standards. It said suppliers must take ‘all practicable steps’ to comply with drinking water standards.
That meant that many people were left without safe drinking water because it was not considered ‘practicable’ to supply it to them. Which really meant that funds were not sufficiently available. Yet the service agreement was to provide them with drinking water, which by its very definition should be safe to drink.
Imagine walking into a bakery and ordering a pie and they hand you one they just picked up off the floor covered in dirt. Would you accept that just because they can’t afford to throw it out?
Now here we are with changes to be made that include requiring Taumata Arowai to grant more exemptions where compliance is ‘impractical, inefficient, unduly costly, or burdensome’. Does that make people safer? Who decides what that means?
We are talking about removing ‘shared domestic suppliers’ from regulation under the Water Services Act 2021. This would by default return them to a requirement to supply safe drinking water under the Heath Act 1956 and Building Act 2004. But who is enforcing that?
Where will they go for help, if not to Taumata Arowai? (Note, that there is no clear definition for who this includes or excludes.)
We are talking about removing requirements for Very Small Communities to write water safety plans, but we are not requiring them to use an acceptable solution where risk management has been done for them.
This group will make up the vast majority of numbers of drinking water suppliers: they have the least knowledge, yet they have the least help available to them. Will this keep people safer?
As we understand our water supplies and our water suppliers better, it is inevitable that that our legislation will evolve to fit them better. However, it is hoped that these changes will also be to keep people safer.
It is a real concern that the proposed changes focus on money rather than people and safety, and in many respects looks walking backwards toward what we deemed inadequate to protect us in the first place.
We must not forget that the real cost here is people, their lives and their health.
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The good bugs of potable water
By Philip La Roche, senior technical director, Beca
Over the past few years, the bad bugs of potable water have had a lot of press – and quite justifiably. But now I think it’s time for a shout out for all the good bugs of potable water!
Did you know it’s possible for a glass of compliant, chlorinated potable water to have over two million bacteria? Yes, potable water is far from sterile. Fortunately, the vast majority of these bacteria are harmless to us. Our favoured disinfection methods such as chlorination combined with filtration and often in conjunction with UV are effective against the harmful ones.
Harmful bacteria are mostly enteric, which means they live and multiply in the gut of animals. The vast majority of bacteria in compliant potable water are opportunistic bacteria, which are bacteria that live and multiply in the water environment outside the body of an animal and are generally harmless.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, with legionella being the most notable troublesome opportunistic pathogen. Unfortunately, the risk of these opportunistic bacteria might increase with climate change and warmer temperatures.
Conventional media filters use a complex range of filtering mechanisms and are a hive of biological activity, which is why they perform much better than a simple strainer of the same pore size, although the biological treatment mechanisms and effectiveness may often not be recognised. By comparison, membrane processes are simply a filter straining out small particles.
In New Zealand, there are examples where membrane filtration replaced media filtration, leading to increased iron or manganese dirty water events, or worsened taste and odour in treated water. This illustrates the additional biological treatment mechanisms that occur in conventional media filters, which remove a broader range of contaminants.
Waikato River achieving good taste and odour reduction, something that is only achieved in more conventional plants operating on the same source by the dosing of powdered activated carbon.
One of the enhancements to biological activated carbon (BAC) that we have under design is an upflow biological activated carbon filter. It is expected to outperform conventional downflow filters in terms of biological performance. This is based on parallel upflow versus downflow trials that have been reported in literature as well being supported by piloting we have completed.
Further enhancement in performance is expected with the upflow process being able to be implemented prior to coagulation, and hence, with increased nutrient levels, notably phosphorous, this should further enhance the biological activity and performance of this process.
Another biological application we have recently trialled on a groundwater is removal of ammonia biologically. The relatively simple biological process consistently achieved ammonia removal down to the limit of detection.
Back near the start I said opportunistic bacteria might become more of a problem with increasing temperatures. Getting the good bugs to work for us is one of the tools we have to manage this risk.
By designing treatment processes that enhance the biological activity, bioavailable nutrients are consumed in the treatment process. The biologically stable water limits biological activity to low levels in the reticulation network. This includes limiting the growth of potentially harmful opportunistic bacteria such as legionella.
Additionally, the biological treatment processes can be effective in reducing organic carbon, reducing chlorine demand, aiding maintenance of a chlorine residual, and microbiological quality of the reticulated water.
These enhanced biological processes are also a step towards improving sustainability, having ‘cleaner production’ and typically smaller waste
Central Interceptor: Haycock Flume/Pump Station 23
The Auckland, Taˉmaki Makaurau, Watercare’s Central Interceptor project is massive by any standards.
Started in 2019, and scheduled for completion in 2026, it will be New Zealand’s largest wastewater tunnel. It will lie between 26 and 110 metres below the surface, from Pt Erin in Herne Bay to Maˉngere Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Along with two smaller-link sewer tunnels also under construction, the main CI tunnel will collect wastewater from the existing network and take it to Maˉngere, with a controlled flow rate. The tunnel slopes at a gradient of 1:1000 taking its content to their destination.
Currently, in older parts of the city, wastewater and stormwater flow into a combined network of pipes. Heavy rain, and stormwater can overwhelm the ageing system, resulting in wastewater overflows into creeks and streams.
The Central Interceptor will significantly reduce this threat to the environment. And to people.
A project this significant is not without its challenges. And there are many steps along the way. In addition to effectiveness, keeping costs down, minimising disruption, and staying on schedule are vital.
Haycock Avenue
Collaboration was the key to success at one step in the progress - the Haycock Flume (Haycock Ave). “Pioneering to get it sorted” is how BurrowTech’s Hayden Powell describes it.
Haycock Ave required a manhole chamber in the roadway and installing flow control gates into the existing Western Interceptor and new pipelines on the site.
“Watercare wanted to avoid over pumping because of the risk and expense.”
Michael Pilkington, Senior Project Engineer, Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture, says they needed to install flow control on existing pipelines (Western Interceptor and Onehunga Branch sewer). Varying pipeline sizes and flows meant a bespoke solution was essential.
Hayden says Michael knows the job “inside and out” and working with him, they found a very effective answer.
“Using the flume there was no interruption to the wastewater flow.”
The flume diverts the flow of liquid through steel pipes with inflatable seals which join the flume and the existing pipe either side.
It was a very precise task and a lot of work went into planning and design – from laser measurements of the pipe, to drawings, the manufacture of the steel, and the all-important seals.
Hayden says it takes a fair bit of planning. “You can’t be even 10mm out.”
And, as for Michael, there’re no complaints.
“It’s been going well, and as planned – no issues at all.”
Pumping Station 23
The PS 23 site is also on the main CI project tunnel alignment. At this point, the tunnel will cross underneath the Manukau Harbour between the PS 23 site to Kiwi Esplanade.
The Manukau Harbour is of great importance to mana whenua, historically, presently and into the future.
Michael Pilkington says, while the flow was lower than for the Haycock flume, it was still a challenge.
He says while they could’ve had other things fabricated, getting the exact inflatable seals for the pipework meant BurrowTech were the right people for the job.
Valuing the invaluable
Ensuring a secure, reliable, safe and cost-effective supply of water is critical to support economic prosperity, liveability and health of our communities and the health of our natural environments.
The growing challenges in providing water services across Asia-Pacific are well known. Population growth, aging infrastructure, increased risk of severe weather events (including flood), and climate change (impacting supply and demand) places heightened pressure on existing systems to deliver essential services such as water and wastewater services.
The reliance on climate dependent systems to supply water to the community is particularly evident in the context of New Zealand, where many regions are facing water shortages with social, economic, and environmental consequences.
Addressing these issues requires critical decisions about how we choose to use or preserve natural resources, including land and water, and how we value potential investments to balance water supply and demand in a variable climate, including evaluating measures such as water conservation.
Why water conservation?
Water conservation programmes include measures to enhance water efficiency through behaviour and/or technology, manage leakage and promote small scale supply and reuse (such as recycling and stormwater harvesting). All these measures ultimately reduce the draw on the community’s potable water supplies – reducing the risk of supply shortfalls and impacts on the environment.
Water conservation can promote a range of economic, social and environmental benefits not captured by traditional ‘build’ solutions, including:
• Avoided cost of water supply infrastructure;
• Improved water security, reducing the risk of water restrictions and/or a supply shortfall;
• Improved amenity and recreation outcomes;
• Reduced wastewater and stormwater volumes to defer system constraints;
• Reduced energy use with benefits in
terms of avoid energy infrastructure and greenhouse emissions; and
• Improved environmental outcomes.
For example, investment in water conservation measures can reduce water demand and slow the rate at which storage levels deplete, deferring or avoiding the need to augment the system to increase supply yield.
By avoiding or deferring a supply system augmentation, water conservation can deliver a cost-saving benefit to society in the form of deferred or avoided investment (a financial cost saving) and avoided infrastructure footprint (a social benefit – see below).
In water scarce communities with constrained or high value land, deferring infrastructure investment can be particularly significant for enhancing urban liveability and improving quality of life outcomes.
Importantly, the value of water conservation changes over time:
• It is highest during periods of low water availability (water scarcity) where the material benefit relates to managing drought;
• It is lowest in periods of high water availability (for example, outside of drought), where the material benefit relates to the avoided cost of meeting growth in water demand.
This means that valuing water solely at the usage price of water, as a proxy for the value of water conservation is likely to significantly understate the value of water conservation.
Incorporating water conservation benefits into decision-making
Historically, the benefits of water conservation have not been well established, quantified, and ultimately well-integrated into decision-making.
Many utilities often estimate the benefits of water conservation initiatives, based on the avoided marginal cost of water supply to the utility, i.e. the cost incurred (or avoided)
in the production (or savings) of one extra unit of water. On a levelised benefit basis, the unit value of these savings is often in the range of $2-$4/kL.
In our experience, this is because, compared to more traditional investments, it can be more difficult to:
• Identify the full range of benefits associated with water conservation, which can involve economic, social, and environmental changes. The magnitude of these vary significantly over time and by project and location, and so require robust place-based analysis.
• Measure and value the full range of benefits when they typically have no observable market price (such as reduced risk of water restrictions or a supply shortfall), requiring specialist economic valuation techniques, and
• Engage with beneficiaries and securing cofunding. For example, beneficiaries can go beyond those water customers and include the broader community, governments, and energy utilities. The dispersed nature of beneficiaries means that it can often be difficult to secure co-funding from those who benefit from these investments. These barriers risk under valuing water saved, and therefore, the benefits of water conservation, ultimately reducing water security.
Economic evaluation tools capture benefits of water conservation
The question then is, how do we embed active consideration of these benefits into our water decision-making process?
While government policy could mandate investment in water conservation, prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach does not guarantee smart investments that maximise the value of our resources. In some circumstances, the costs of water conservation will be more than outweighed by its benefits.
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‘Logic map’ linking water conservation and avoided infrastructure footprint.
The value of water conservation varies over time.
Economic evaluation, such as cost-benefit analysis, supported by more sophisticated risk management tools, like real-options analysis, enables decision-makers to identify, quantify, and value the economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits of water conservation at different points in time, ensuring these broader impacts are captured in investment decisions.
While these steps are not always easy and can require collaboration across sectors and disciplines, they provide a robust and defensible framework for identifying where and when water conservation can cost-effectively support delivery of our key water services.
The benefits of water conservation can be significant
To support the sector in better understanding and demonstrating the value of water conservation, Frontier Economics worked with the NSW Government to develop a set of bespoke cost benefit analysis guidance for water conservation measures.
It also applied these guidelines ex-post to evaluate the success of leakage reduction and water conservation programmes in regional communities and identify the levelised benefit (or unitised measure) of the value of water.
The analysis of these water conservation programmes found that water conservation could deliver up to $56.9 million in net benefits to the community over the 30-year modelling period ($FY24, discounted) in the form of:
• Improved security of supply by reducing reliance on water supply sources (including reduced risk of a supply shortfall);
• Deferred investment in the water supply network required to align long term supply with demand (including reduced draw on existing water supply);
• Reduced wastewater infrastructure needs and enhanced ecological outcomes from reduced treated wastewater discharge into surrounding waterways;
• Reduced energy use and greenhouse gas emissions;
• Enhanced outdoor recreation opportunities and liveability outcomes.
Critically, these benefits go beyond avoided financial cost savings from deferring investment in new water sources to balance long-term supply and demand and demonstrates that even if the marginal improvement in water security (e.g. reduction in likelihood of a supply shortfall) as a result of water conservation may appear small, the avoided cost can be significant.
Converting the value of the water savings from the programmes considered to ‘levelised benefits’ results in a value of water conservation up to $9.69/kL (under central climate change) and up to $26.21/kL in the dry climate change scenario.
This demonstrates that utilising estimates of the marginal cost of water supply to the utility, or the usage price of water, as a proxy for the value of water conservation is likely to significantly understate the value of water conservation measures. This risks underprovision of efficient investment in water
conservation and highlights the need to better understand the value of water.
Where to from here?
In the face of growing water security challenges, increased investment in water conservation has the potential to generate significant benefit to the community. However, the benefits of water conservation have historically not been well established, quantified, and ultimately wellintegrated into decision-making. The potential for poor decisions that are not environmentally, socially or economically optimal is significant.
Utilising more credible estimates of the value of water conservation – that account for the broader economic, social, and environmental benefits that accrue to the utility and the community from water conservation – may result in the economic level of water conservation being significantly higher than currently assessed.
This will require collaboration between economists, scientists, planners across the public and private sector to better identify, quantify, value, and incorporate these benefits into decision-making.
Article provided by Frontier Economics
Cost benefit analysis involves six key steps.
The levelised benefits of water conservation can be significant – an example from regional NSW, Australia.
When every drop counts
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In 2020, a helicopter with a large hexagonal loop suspended below took to the skies in Hawke’s Bay, gathering information about the vast groundwater system beneath the surface.
GNS Science and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council have completed analysis of 8000 kilometres of data, creating three-dimensional models of the region’s underground aquifers, and tools to inform the Council’s water management policies.
Groundwater is critical for freshwater security. In Hawke’s Bay, as in many other regions, it is relied on for drinking and irrigation. Understanding the extent of the aquifers below ground, and how they interact with surface water is key for effective freshwater management.
The Hawke’s Bay survey used state-ofthe-art SkyTEM aerial electromagnetic technology. The electromagnetic scans provide a very accurate picture – to an average depth of 300 metres – of the aquifers and their properties, such as where water is stored and how it flows underground.
GNS Science senior hydro-geophysicist Zara Rawlinson says that the level of threedimensional detail has exceeded expectations.
“This high-resolution spatial detail, combined with existing borehole data such as the age of groundwater, has significantly improved our understanding of the region’s aquifer systems.
“This is vital information to support the sustainable management of Hawke’s Bay’s freshwater.”
The data has been used to update numerical groundwater models for the Heretaunga Plains, Ruataniwha Plains, and a more localised Bridge Pa model, that are the primary tools used by the regional council to aid in setting groundwater allocations and other management decisions.
The SkyTEM data helped to refine these models and reduce the uncertainty of simulated parts of the system that are critical for sustainable managements decisions, such as river flows and groundwater levels.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council team leader – hydrology and groundwater science Simon Harper says the technology greatly improves understanding of the region’s aquifers.
“We expect that businesses and the public will benefit from this comprehensive dataset now that it is available. How it is used and the benefits going forward will no doubt evolve as our technical and scientific communities build on this work,” says Simon.
“The new models will help the council make better policy and rules to balance the water demands of industry and agriculture, while not adversely impacting the health of our aquifers.”
The study provides vital information that can help reduce contamination risk, with drinking water security a key priority for the region following the 2016 Havelock North Campylobacter outbreak.
“We’ve refined the mapping of the nearsurface clay-rich layer of the aquifer, which helps us understand the vulnerability of the groundwater system to surface contamination. The models can be used to improve our knowledge of how contamination flows through the system, and to help define source protection zones
for drinking water wells,” says Zara.
The helicopter-borne technology is a gamechanger for groundwater data collection.
“SkyTEM provides an efficient and costeffective way to gather information over large areas – it’s like having hundreds of thousands of wells at a fraction of the cost,” says Zara.
Hawke’s Bay was the first regional council in the country to map its aquifers using SkyTEM. Building on this innovative work, GNS Science has partnered with other organisations to undertake similar work programmes in Northland, Wellington, Gisborne, and Southland.
“We’ve now collected close to 29,000 kilometres of data across New Zealand, working closely with partners in each region to understand what their priorities are, so that we can produce models and outputs that are fit-for-purpose.”
GNS Science and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council have worked together to develop an online interactive storymap, making the three-dimensional models accessible to the public. The datasets are also available for more technical users through the GNS Science Dataset Catalogue.
Article provided by GNS Science
Numerical groundwater model of the Heretaunga Plains incorporating SkyTEM data
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Bringing down demand through water efficiency in the non-residential sector
By Julian Fyfe, Elliott Kennedy, and Billie Judd, Awa Environmental; and Priya Thuraisundaram, Watercare
Improving customer water efficiency is a highly cost-effective means of managing imbalances between supply and demand. When done well, it can both reduce operational costs and defer or downsize investment in supply side infrastructure. In addition, it helps customers save costs on water and electricity bills, often with minimal investment and rapid return.
Commercial, industrial and institutional (non-residential) customers are prime targets for water efficiency, as they are typically subject to volumetric water charges and have a strong imperative to keep utility costs down.
In addition, the true cost of water goes beyond just that of the water itself. Heating, pumping, treatment and other energy and resource inputs all add to the total cost of water use, which can amount to several times the volumetric price of water. Many will also have sustainability and/ or carbon reduction objectives that encourage reducing their footprint.
Auckland’s water service provider, Watercare, has been onto the case of non-residential water efficiency since the 2020 drought, when it first started engaging with commercial customers about water supply resilience. Wellington Water, the water service provider (WSP) for Wellington, Porirua, Hutt and Upper Hutt City Councils, formulated a Non-Residential Customer Water Efficiency Strategy in 2023, which laid the platform for piloting and then expanding a robust customer engagement programme.
This paper outlines the approach taken by each WSP to nonresidential water efficiency, together with the benefits that have accrued from their activities, the themes observed, and the lessons learned along the way.
Watercare
In response to the drought, Watercare started collaborating with its key large non-residential customers (now preferentially referred to as simply ‘commercial’ customers) to reduce water consumption, while minimising impact on Aucklanders and businesses during the drought.
Through convening customer forums they went about sharing their challenges and conveying their commitment to investing in a more resilient water supply. Customers provided invaluable feedback and stated their commitment to finding water savings and progressing innovation in water use and efficiency.
The partnerships fostered through the forums led to the establishment of the annual He Taonga te Wai Water Efficiency Expo, which connects suppliers of water-efficient technologies with key commercial sectors to promote responsible water use. Most
importantly it enabled Watercare to showcase water saving innovations and create a network to share best practice operations.
Watercare’s commercial sector engagement efforts produced voluntary savings of 15 percent among its largest users during the drought.
Over the course of their engagement with the commercial sector, Watercare formed partnerships with a number of industry bodies, most notably the Exterior Cleaning Industry Association (ECIA).
ECIA launched a Water Efficient Operator training programme in 2020. This involved establishing best practices for water management, which culminated in the formalisation of standards in the 2022 ECIA Code of Practice.
Watercare also collaborated with Fire and Emergency New Zealand to save water during training exercises. By introducing modified skip bins for pump training, firefighters can now recirculate water when simulating hydrant use.
Watercare funded five recirculation units strategically placed across Auckland, starting with the Māngere station and Mt Wellington Regional Training Centre. Each training session now saves the equivalent of water consumed by 17,000 people in a day.
Wellington Water
Wellington Water initiated its pilot non-residential customer water efficiency programme in early 2023. This involved visiting 13 customer sites in target sectors as per the strategy – namely high water users, schools, and council facilities – to perform water efficiency opportunity assessments (WEOAs). The pilot allowed the team to test the approach to recruiting customers and systematise the WEOA process.
In June of the same year, a second batch of customers were recruited to the programme, with WEOAs being conducted for another 13 customers.
WEOA reports were then drafted and issued to customers over the following nine months with the assistance of consulting firm Awa Environmental. Awa has been engaged to undertake follow-up engagement with the previously-assessed customers and to continue delivery of the programme.
The objectives of the Wellington Water programme are to:
• Commence dialogue with the non-residential sector;
• Partner with selected customers to capture data about their activities and assets and provide advice about how to become more efficient and save money;
• Build capability and capacity internally and among consultant and contractor partners in demand management disciplines and on-site surveys and assessments; and
• Reduce demand in the non-residential sector.
The programme is now fully up and running, with delivery being led by Awa Environmental whose scope encompasses:
• Prioritising and targeting non-residential customers and sectors in line with the strategy;
• Establishing relationships with selected customers;
• Undertaking water efficiency opportunity assessments (WEOAs) of selected customers;
• Devising incentives to encourage customers to implement economic water efficiency measures;
• Following up with customers after WEOAs have been issued, again to encourage implementation.
As Watercare has demonstrated through its work, customer water efficiency is founded upon engagement – working with customers to launch and support their water efficiency journey. In the case of working with individual customers, Wellington Water and Awa’s approach that centres around building a positive relationship with the customer, providing context for the programme, and focusing on the benefits (cost savings) that they can gain from implementing water efficiency measures.
The key stages include:
• Prioritising and selecting candidate customers;
• Recruitment of candidate customers and arranging meetings and site visits;
• Capturing water consumption data to inform a subsequent assessment of customer water efficiency;
• Undertaking the assessment through one or more site visits;
• Preparing an easy-to-read report for the customer that summarises the opportunities and economics of water efficiency, and offers financial incentives for implementation in the form of rebates;
• Following up with the customer to go through the report findings and encourage adoption of the recommendations with incentives;
• Ongoing customer engagement and broader communications.
Prioritisation, benchmarking and recruitment
In the Wellington region there are over 10,000 non-residential customers. Careful prioritisation of customers was carried out to achieve the best return on investment. Hence, criteria that consider water savings potential in conjunction with the likelihood of implementation were applied. In other words, the customers chosen for assessment were those that can make the greatest savings and are most likely to make the investments/changes to do so.
Users and sectors within the service area that consume the most water were first identified to generate a pool of candidates to recruit potential participants from. The customers in the pool were then benchmarked against good practice for their respective industry to determine where the best water savings opportunities lie.
Once preferred candidates have been selected, contact is initiated by email and telephone to recruit them into the programme. The responses to the initial inquiries give an indication of the customers’ buy-in and their preparedness to engage meaningfully, which informs the approach to the next stages.
Smart Metering
Smart metering is a key part of the success of the water efficiency drive. It provides three orders of magnitude more data than conventional manual meter reads, providing granularity that radically improves the characterisation of water use at the site by helping to target specific end
uses, as well as recognise potential leakage or wastage. Smart metering has also granted the customers more transparency of their own water consumption through an online data storage and visualisation platform. In most cases, the meter smarts are provided by fitting a pulse reader and transmitting datalogger to existing mechanical meters. Where meters are 50mm or smaller and are near or beyond their asset life, the recommendation is to upgrade to an ultrasonic integrated smart meter.
Collaborative assessments
The centrepiece of the process is the water efficiency opportunity assessment (WEOA). This involves meeting with the customer and conducting a site visit to observe water end uses and identify options for reducing consumption through changing practices and/or hardware.
Collaboration is a key aspect of the WEOAs. Throughout the engagement with each customer Awa seeks to understand the intricacies of their site, tailoring the assessment to provide realistic, tangible recommendations. Connecting with the right personnel within the organisation is critical to this, as it ensures that throughout the process, the assessors can provide the right answers to the right questions.
Awa has received extremely positive responses when the staff being engaged are closely involved with water management and are wellinformed. It certainly helps when the customer is excited by the project from the outset, but those less interested customers are often won over by the end of the process. After a thorough site visit and a subsequent desktop analysis, Awa provides the organisation with a report that is digestible, curated, and presents water efficiency as attractive and achievable.
The focal point of the report is the water efficiency savings opportunities table. The table lays out all the suggested water efficiency actions, and quantifies the costs, the potential water savings and the economic feasibility of these recommendations.
To incentivise the organisation to implement the recommendations, rebates on up to 50 percent of the costs are offered to the customer. However, experience to date has shown that when organisations become aware of the savings they can make through relatively small changes, they follow the recommendations without claiming the rebates.
Customer handover
Once Awa has completed the assessment and follow-up phase, Wellington Water’s customer engagement team takes over the relationship with the customer. The team's focus is on building relationships with customers, providing customised advice and resources, and encouraging long-term commitment to water conservation. Specifically, the team:
• Ensures customer understanding: They meet with customers to further discuss the reports, answer questions, and handle administrative tasks like rebates.
• Provides customised support: They tailor their approach to each customer’s unique needs and circumstances, offering ongoing support and advice.
• Encourages long-term commitment: They foster a sense of partnership with customers, motivating them to prioritise water conservation and make lasting changes.
• Facilitates industry-wide guidance: They gather feedback and insights from individual customers to create effective industry guidance and share best practices.
The customer engagement team’s efforts contribute significantly to the programme's success by ensuring that water efficiency measures are not only implemented but also sustained over the long term.
Communications
To broaden the reach and impact of the programme beyond the customers selected for assessments, a series of factsheets that provide guidance-specific customer groups and end uses has been developed.
As the programme progresses, Wellington Water and Awa continuously refine their approach based on customer feedback and observed outcomes. Evaluating water savings will be a key part of this process, providing verification of the programme's effectiveness and informing future efforts.
Learnings and themes
While each customer has a unique water usage profile, a number of water efficiency themes have emerged across the various assessments, including:
• The true cost of water to the business is often overlooked;
• A lot of water is consumed unconsciously;
• Many water savings opportunities are simple and low-cost;
• Leakage and unintentional wastage often make up a large portion of customer consumption;
• Follow-up engagement and communications are key; and
• Working with industry bodies provides leverage to influence entire non-residential groups.
The true cost of water
The price of water has risen substantially over recent years, helping to bring water consumption into sharper focus for many customers. And in many cases, this alone makes water efficiency measures economical. However, it is when the other costs associated with water use including water heating, pumping and treatment that the economics of water efficiency really stack up for the business.
The true cost of water can be more than double the volumetric water price. Hence the WEOA reports place a strong emphasis on these ‘hidden’ costs of water to help the customer make the business case for improving efficiency.
Unconscious consumption and easy savings
Many customers have low awareness of water efficiency and the scope of opportunity available to them and are often surprised by the prospective cost savings that can be achieved with minimal effort and cost.
The measures recommended in the WEOA reports generally fall into two main categories – active and passive. Active measures relate to behavioural changes which can deliver quick savings but are sometimes difficult to sustain. Passive measures relate to reducing the water intensity of the base infrastructure/hardware of water use. These tend to be the focus of the assessments as they deliver effective and permanent savings, without the need for developing new operating protocols and ongoing vigilance.
It’s about making facilities, fittings and fixtures more efficient so that when they are put to use, they consume less water. This can be anything from replacing tap aerators with more efficient models to optimising cooling tower control settings. An example of a passive measure is retrofitting efficient aerators to taps. For basin taps this can reduce tap use by 80 percent while costing just $5-10 per tap, producing very short payback periods.
Another common theme observed in Wellington has been the presence of highly inefficient fill-and-dump urinals. The flush mechanism comprises a cistern that is filled in a similar manner to toilet
cisterns, but once filled they automatically flush (dump) through an auto-siphon valve. This cycle repeats roughly every 15 minutes; hence the term ‘fill-and-dump’. They can take the form of individual stalls or, more commonly, tray urinals.
They cost around $2000 annually to operate in water costs alone. Retrofitting options have payback periods of around one year and can reduce water use by around 75 percent. Ultimately, however, replacement with more efficient urinal systems (individual stalls with sensors, or waterless) is preferable.
Leakage and wastage
Diurnal profiling of water consumption using smart meter data has shown that, for many customers, a large portion of their water demand comes from base flow which typically indicates leakage or some form of continual consumption/waste.
Figure 1 gives an example of how consumption was reduced by 60 percent in one day following the repair of a previously undetected hidden leak that was identified through the installation of a datalogger on the water meter.
Urinals have been a common culprit for unnecessary water use, even when fitted with flush sensors. At one site, a urinal had been retrofitted with an infrared sensor to improve efficiency. However, due to the positioning of the motion sensor, the unit was being triggered by the flushing of the urinal itself, resulting in virtually constant water usage, even when no patrons were present. This was found to be consuming 9600 litres each day and costing around $16,000 annually in volumetric water charges. Once notified of this issue the customer acted quickly to verify the source of the night flow and then rectify the urinal. Before and after water consumption is shown in Figure 2.
Follow-up engagement
Even the most engaged customers can miss the email containing their WEOA report, let alone find the time to digest and act on the recommendations. Hence it has been an important feature of the Wellington Water programme to follow up with customers shortly after their report has been issued. This provides the opportunity to go through the observations and recommendations, to emphasise the benefits on offer, and answer any questions the customers may have.
Peak body consultation
Watercare has found that partnering with industry bodies significantly extends the reach of engagement. As a large WSP with over 35,000 nonresidential connections, Watercare can’t engage with each commercial customer directly.
Collaborating with industry bodies amplifies Watercare’s message by leveraging the networks and the reputation of those industry bodies.
Figure 1. Change in consumption following the repair of a leak at an institutional customer site
Advertisements show how the commercial sector pitched in to the 2020 drought response. The benefit of this has even now spread beyond Watercare’s service area, with the ECIA reaching out to Wellington Water regarding incorporating their best practice code into the Wellington non-residential water restrictions guidelines.
Conclusions
Promoting water efficiency in the non-residential sector can produce considerable reductions in network demand, providing both shortand long-term benefits to the supply-demand balance and network operational and capital investment needs.
In taking a broad, well-conceived and delivered engagement approach that involved both large individual customers and industry
bodies, Watercare managed to reduce non-residential water demand by 15 percent in response to the 2020 drought.
Wellington Water has taken a more direct approach in performing water efficiency assessments on individual customers. To date, 20 customers have been through the full engagement, which amounts to just 0.2 percent of the non-residential customer base. But in targeting the highest users and groups that constitute 25 percent of total nonresidential demand, the programme has already produced savings of 1.9 ML/d (~6% non-residential demand).
In addition to bolstering water security for the region, this amounts to over $3 million per year in customer water bill savings alone, which highlights the mutual benefits of the programme to the environment, the water service provider and customers.
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Figure 2. Water consumption before and after verifying and rectifying a mis-configured urinal
An update on environment policy
The purpose of this article is to provide the latest updates from the environment and natural resources policy world. The previous update was in the June edition of Water. By Helen Atkins.
Fast-track Bill
In late August, Cabinet announced it had recommended changes to the Fast-track Approvals Bill to the Environment Committee. Cabinet’s recommended changes were that:
• Projects applying for fast-track approval will be referred to an expert panel by the Minister for Infrastructure alone, who will be required to consult the Minister for the Environment and other relevant portfolio ministers as part of that referral process.
• Final decisions on projects will not sit with ministers but with the expert panel.
• Expert panels will include expertise in environmental matters; an iwi authority representative when required by Treaty settlements; and Māori development expertise in place of mātauranga Māori.
• Applicants will be required to include information on previous decisions, including previous court decisions, for the referring minister to consider.
• Timeframes for comment at the referral and panel stages will be extended in order to give parties, including those impacted by a proposed project, more time to provide comments.
The Environment Committee was charged with the role of deciding whether to accept these recommendations before delivering its report to the House of Representatives in October.
The Committee report
The Select Committee delivered its report on October 18, 2024 (noted as a proof only copy, not final). The report has a majority view, with separate opposing views by the Labour Party, the Green Party, Te Pāti Māori, and then-independent MP Darleen Tana. The opposition is essentially that the Bill overrides democratic participation and is against the principles of Te Tiriti.
As we go to print, the most up to date commentary on the Bill has been made by the Environmental Defence Society (EDS).
EDS notes that it is good to see the expert panels have the final word and not ministers, but say the purpose of the Bill and decision-making criteria is heavily weighted against the environment; submissions to the expert panels are heavily circumscribed; and the list of referred projects is not being considered by the Select Committee.
As noted by EDS, the Bill does not include any of the projects in Schedule 2 at this stage and that is to occur at a later stage during the progress of the Bill through the House.
We will hear over the coming days and weeks both sides of the debate and some, such as Infrastructure NZ, have noted that the Bill (and the project list) will be positive for infrastructure outcomes.
The Bill could become law in late 2024, but it is of note that the Government depends on the support of the Coalition to pass this Bill, given the other parties are firmly in opposition.
Fast-track projects list
On October 6, the Government announced the 149 projects which will be included in the Bill. The announcement notes that there are 44 housing developments; seven aquaculture and farming projects; 43 infrastructure projects; eight quarrying projects; 22 renewable electricity projects; and 11 mining projects.
In addition to these projects, there are just over 30 projects that relate to the water services sector. Some include water storage projects but many relate to housing developments, and apply to new facilities or upgrades to existing wastewater and water supply services.
The 149 projects were approved from a total of 384 projects that had applied for the fast-track process. There is nothing to preclude those projects that were not included applying for fast-track once the Bill has been passed into law.
The Ministry for the Environment shared a useful pie chart and map summary of those applications to show projects by sector and the geographical spread, which we’ve reprinted here.
The changes proposed to the Bill mean the fast-track process looks similar to existing processes – for example, the Covid fast-track process and the process in the Natural and Built Environments Act 2023 (which remains in force until it is replaced – presumably by this Bill). There are a few projects in both processes still being considered.
Other legislative and policy changes ahead
The Government has announced plans for a second RMA 1991 amendment bill, and a package of National Direction changes, including seven new national directions and amendments to the 14 existing national directions. This is due to be introduced to Parliament later this year and could become law in 2025.
The key areas are:
• Infrastructure and energy. A new NPS-Infrastructure that includes changes for telecommunications, renewable energy and quarrying and consent duration and terms.
• Housing. Allowing Tier 1 councils to opt-out from implementing the Medium Density Residential Standards; changing national directions for urban development and highly productive land; and enabling granny flats; providing central government with new powers relating to compliance with property development to support implementation of the Going for Housing Growth plan.
• Emergencies and Natural Hazards. This will introduce a comprehensive, nationally-consistent framework to manage natural hazard risks, including climate change.
• Farming and Primary. This gives effect to National Party and Coalition commitments for agriculture and removes barriers to indoor primary production and solar farms.
The Government has indicated it will make further farming and primary sector package announcements in the coming months.
The other highlights from the legislative/policy changes package are:
• Potential for a new national direction for water storage.
• Electrify New Zealand proposals, making it easier and cheaper to consent renewable electricity generation, distribution and transmission.
• The Government is proposing temporary law changes to make it easier to undertake flood works in Māngere, to improve the community’s resilience to severe weather events.
• The Growing for Growth Housing Plan will see more detailed changes through the RMA programme, including the National Policy Statement for Urban Development.
• The Adaptation Preparedness Report has been released and is available at environment.govt.nz/publications/adaptationpreparedness-2024-update.
• The Climate Change Commissioner has released its first monitoring reports. You can find more at mfe.govt.nz/news.
• Systems Improvements. Efficient cost-recovery by local authorities; targeted improvements to compliance and enforcement; and technical improvements to DOC functions to manage discharges, compliance and enforcement.
This environmental policy work is somewhat of a moving and diverse space. There are a multitude of complex and sometimes interrelated changes proposed across the whole spectrum of our legislative and policy system affecting water services.
Many of you will already be familiar with the proposals for Local Water Done Well, and Water New Zealand is providing regular updates on this. Local Water Done Well was the focus of a number of discussions at the recent conference.
In terms of what to watch for next, it will be the Fast-Track Bill, which is expected to be introduced into the House shortly and passed before the end of the year.
For those who have projects on the priority area list and are ready to proceed as soon as the Bill is passed, then those projects can use the fasttrack process. It is difficult to predict exactly how many of the 148 projects are ready to proceed immediately. It is also difficult to predict how many of those projects not on the list (235) will attempt to use the process via an application to the Minister, as set out in the Bill.
In addition, the fast-track process is always open for those wanting to apply – whether they have already applied to be on the list or not, and whether they made it onto the list or not.
What lessons can be applied from England and Wales’ innovation fund?
By Rhys Herriott, senior programme manager, Challenge Works
The issues facing the planet are complex. Climate change is exacerbating unpredictable weather patterns, causing deluges and droughts. The environmental impacts of human activity –particularly agricultural activity – are becoming more widely publicised. The need for the global economy to transition to net zero is urgent. To tackle these issues, long-term solutions are needed. It’s what makes the water sector so ripe for innovation.
Innovation does not take place in a vacuum though. Some issues are more politically urgent, some matter more to the public, some garner little attention. Quick fixes can be appealing but can relegate long-term solutions to the back burner.
Lower impact solutions that appear less risky are able to secure funding, while lasting solutions in need of more development time can struggle to secure meaningful investment.
The result is that, too often, there is more incentive to fund and develop lower-impact quick fixes than more ambitious, long-term solutions. It’s a dilemma faced by most, if not all, countries with developed water sectors – whether in my original home of Australia, where I now live in the UK, or in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Aotearoa New Zealand, of course, is in the midst of comprehensive reform aimed at providing safe, reliable drinking water and better environmental performance, sustainably and affordably. It is a big opportunity for innovation to excel, given the right support to do so.
As territorial authorities prepare their water service delivery plans, they will be under pressure to show how water services can be affordable for bill payers, but still be financially sustainable. This may make investment in innovation an unattractive prospect for many, and lead to under-investment in emerging, long-term issues.
However, in the new regulatory environment there is an opportunity to embed this innovation into the very structure of the sector, through the creation of a new innovation fund.
Such a fund would not be a world first – for almost five years, Challenge Works, part of innovation foundation Nesta, has worked with Ofwat, the economic water regulator for England and Wales, to deliver the £200 million (NZ$445 million) Ofwat Innovation Fund.
The water sector in England and Wales is relatively unique, with the majority of water and wastewater services provided by 17 privatised water companies, who operate within regional monopolies.
Every five years, Ofwat, as the economic regulator, examines and agrees five-yearly business plans for each of these companies, setting out what they need to invest in, and what they are able to charge customers to deliver this investment.
Anyone who has paid any attention to Britain’s water sector will know that it faces many challenges.
As I write, six weeks of rain is falling in a day. The wastewater infrastructure, much of which relies on Victorian foundations built for a significantly smaller population, is rapidly filling up. If it hasn’t already, the system will likely reach capacity, and the excess will
overflow into rivers, streams, and the coast.
We saw similar scenes in Paris during the Olympics, where despite more than €1 billion of investment to clean up the Seine, unseasonal storms overwhelmed capacity, causing sewage discharges and threatening the health and safety of triathletes.
It’s not only storm overflows that are a challenge. Three percent of the UK’s electricity consumption goes into managing the water sector, amounting to a third of the country’s industrial emissions. Beyond that, wastewater management generates more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide that must be managed.
Despite concerted efforts to drive leaks down to their lowest levels ever, around a fifth of drinking water in the network is lost –representing a waste of resources and energy.
The purpose of the Ofwat Innovation Fund is to provide a much-needed avenue for water companies to collaborate on these shared challenges outside of the five-year funding cycle and pursue innovative solutions which might otherwise have been seen as too risky, or too long-term, to include in business plans.
So, what can Kiwis learn from the Ofwat Innovation Fund, and how could it go further?
Innovation, by its nature, comes with risk – it’s often impossible to know to what extent and on what timescale an innovation may bear fruit. Despite its necessity, this can make investing in innovation a challenging proposition.
Through its flagship competition, the Water Breakthrough Challenge, the fund awards £40 million (NZ$85 million) each year to projects led by water companies in England and Wales, in collaboration with universities, businesses, charities, civil society organisations and local and regional governments.
Importantly, the terms of this funding are generous, with Ofwat only requiring a 10 percent matched financial contribution –effectively covering 90 percent of the risk of pursuing the project. Ofwat also takes no stake in any intellectual property generated with the funding – instead, just requiring a licence be made available to the wider sector.
This provides an acceptable pathway for water companies to explore early-stage innovations, while ensuring all customers in England and Wales can benefit.
In a similar vein, ‘few strings attached’ funding, specifically for water sector innovation, could help ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand’s new water utilities can invest in innovation from the outset. Taumata Arowai and the Commerce Commission may wish to go further by working with the newly created water companies, as well as wider stakeholders, to define and set future-oriented challenges which actively shape the sector’s innovation agenda.
Establishing an innovation fund could help create a culture of collaborative competition in the water sector, and develop a robust, future-focused supply chain for decades to come.
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Promoting nature-based solutions to stormwater in our urban areas
How Nature-based Solutions can be applied to stormwater and flood management, and what’s needed to encourage greater understanding and uptake of these holistic approaches.
Nature-based solutions involve working with nature and natural processes to address societal challenges brought about by human impacts on the natural environment. They include the protection, restoration or management of natural and semi-natural ecosystems; the sustainable management of aquatic systems and working lands; and integration of nature in and around our cities.
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) treat stormwater as a visible and integrated asset that meets environmental and societal challenges. It bridges the ‘climate adaptation gap’ by creating less carbon-intensive infrastructure, being an adaptable and resilient system to change, and sequestering carbon in plants and soil.
The important concepts of NbS relate to working with natural and modified ecosystems to address a societal challenge through adaption.
Earlier this year, Boffa Miskell landscape architects Mark Lewis and Liz Gavin hosted an expert panel and group workshop at the 2024 Stormwater Conference. Panellists and attendees discussed their experience with Nature-based Solutions, the challenges and benefits they had encountered, and explored potential methods to broaden the uptake of NbS.
Some recurring themes emerged:
The financing of infrastructure was a significant focus. It’s anticipated that new methods of financing will become more mainstream – including public-private partnerships, utilising social or environmental impact bonds (SIB/EIB), or stormwater credits – to achieve projects that may not otherwise be possible. Incorporating green infrastructure incentives – including methods such as tax benefits and carbon credits will enable a better uptake of these assets.
Monetising benefits, including the intangible assets associated with amenity and biodiversity values, will be required if the true value of NbS compared to traditional infrastructure is to be understood. To be effective levers for decision-making, these values must be measurable and applicable
as performance indicators to business case frameworks.
Currently, traditional stormwater infrastructure in the built environment such as gutters, drains, pipes, and retention basins are not compared against NbS for the same outcomes. Equally, the depreciation applied to ‘grey’ infrastructure does not recognise the true replacement cost, which would likely be comparable to the ongoing maintenance costs typically associated with NbS, without realising any of the same benefits.
NbS typically appreciate as an asset, as vegetation matures and higher numbers of the public engage with these systems. This is not often considered in business case reviews.
Emotional impacts from potential and experienced trauma are the main drivers in attitude change and acceptance of the level of risk at a personal level and at a community level. When a catastrophic flood event has been experienced first-hand, the community is willing to listen to and consider major change to where and how they live. It was noted, however, that over just a short period of time these impacts can be forgotten, and change is then resisted again.
Community engagement is key to positive change. Involving community in decisionmaking will inform both the community and the project delivery and provide the ‘social licence’ to enable supported environmental action. Robust discussions about how a community will adapt, develop, or retreat in response to climate-related risk; and the level of acceptable risk acceptable at a community level, are encouraged.
Community ownership or adoption of NbS-related facilities and assets was raised as a way of increasing knowledge of Nature-based Solutions, and of ensuring that these facilities and assets were well-maintained beyond their delivery. Rates rebates could be incorporated into maintaining these assets. Subdivision design could incorporate NbS into the design from the outset and establish community expectations on what they are for and how they should be managed (including financially).
Legislation and guidance tools supporting the use of Nature-based Solutions as a primary approach is required to give NbS support at a national level. This would be achieved through policy development that calls for community engagement on decision-making and evaluation standards that ensure a consistent approach of assessment and development.
Communication is key. Understanding the audience and finding the right medium to convey information is an important part of gaining community trust and involvement for Naturebased Solutions.
Risk understanding and quantification is important for Councils and community. Therefore, it is crucial for Councils to provide access to data around rain/flood events and relay levels of risk to their communities. Concurrent with risk evaluation is the importance for Councils, industry, and communities to discuss the wide ranging environmental and societal benefits of Nature-based Solutions.
Planning for operational and maintenance costs of Nature-based Solutions and understanding ownership of these responsibilities is critical to the successful functioning and longevity of the asset, particularly in relation to creating the skillbase to maintain NbS appropriately.
Opportunities for large-scale and aspirational NbS should be explored to consider the different climate-related risks faced at a district or regional level and provide a holistic response to climate change impacts. A broad and integrated network of Nature-based Solutions could provide largescale functions such as arresting fire-spread, accommodating sea level rise as an adapted coastal system, and protecting hillslopes from erosion.
Workshop attendees provided many examples of NbS contributing positively to their towns and cities, and indicated that there was an appetite for Nature-based Solutions in stormwater infrastructure. Continued efforts to motivate the implementation of NbS across the country is needed to drive and enable policy, guidance, and financial mechanisms to facilitate these approaches.
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The nose knows
World Taste and Smell Day is celebrated on 14 September and what better time to get the skinny on the country’s one and only odour lab?
There’s a saying about stopping to smell the flowers, but Elena de Roo spends her time sniffing much more interesting odours. Elena is a member of the Watercare Laboratories odour panel, based at the laboratory in Māngere, Auckland.
It’s the only odour lab in the country and Elena and her four fellow panellists provide a unique service to Watercare and external clients – determining odours and odour levels with their specially calibrated noses.
“Watercare smells usually range from earthy to quite strong sewage. We do the strong smells at the end of the day because they can ruin your nose for less pungent odours,” says Elena.
“From external clients’ operations, we can get fishy or yeasty smells. We’ve had bakery smells and cereal smells. The worst smell we’ve had was from a meat processing plant. That was awful and very strong.
“We get a few petrochemical smells –bitumen, diesel, smoky or burnt smells. We’ve had peanut butter. I’m just waiting for chocolate.”
Although sniffing odour samples might not sound very scientific, the panel’s odour monitoring is done in accordance with an IANZ accredited method which represents the international benchmark for analytical testing.
Odour levels are often part of companies’ consent conditions, and the panel can
determine the strength of odour samples at different dilutions.
“We’re not told where the samples come from, so we’re objective. We have a booth with two funnels in it and we smell samples from each funnel to see if we can detect any odour.
“We each do two rounds of each sample to determine the threshold of when we can smell something. Then we smell the undiluted sample and form a consensus on what the smell is and whether it’s weak, moderate or strong. We have to agree on a description of the smell. If we can’t agree, we go with the majority view.”
Not just anyone can be a panellist – their sense of smell has to fall within a specific
range, which is determined by calibration.
“When I applied for the job, the first thing they want to know is, is your nose sensitive enough, but not too sensitive? The panel needs to represent the general population in terms of odour sensitivity.
“They test you with various dilutions of butanol gas, which is used around the world to test how sensitive your sense of smell is. You need to be within a certain range to be on the panel.
“Every time we go in to do odour testing, we do the butanol test again to recalibrate our noses. Your sense of smell can change from day to day and can be affected by things like colds and allergies.”
The job doesn’t just involve sniffing –sometimes panellists are called on to taste drinking water samples, but they spit the samples out rather than swallowing them, similar to a wine tasting – although they’re unlikely to be picking up bouquets of cherry, or notes of oak.
An important part of the job is making sure panellists don’t bring any smells into the lab with them that might interfere with the samples.
“You can’t wear anything smelly. We wear unscented deodorant, use unscented shampoo. No makeup or lipstick. I’d once used perfume the week before and gotten some of it on my watch strap and I realised I could still smell it so I had to take off my
Elena de Roo.
watch. We wash our clothes in unscented detergent or have a separate set of clothes for this job.”
She says the casual nature of the role works for her, as she also writes children’s books.
This isn’t the first sensory panel she’s been part of – she also worked for Fonterra on a sensory dairy product panel, and for Plant and Food Research’s sensory panel.
“I’ve always had a good sense of taste and smell.”
She joined the Watercare panel a couple of years ago and enjoys it.
Watercare air quality technician Sara Mandalawalige Dona runs the odour lab, schedules the odour panels and does the reporting and client relationship management.
“Our olfactometer is the only one in the country. It came from Germany. We collect air samples and put them through the instrument, which makes the dilutions for the panel to smell,” says Sara.
Some samples are collected using a stainless-steel hood with a vacuum pump, which pumps the air sample into a barrel. The samples are transferred into bags
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made of a special odourless material called Nalophan.
“The bag materials come from Germany and we are the only supplier of Nalophan bags in the country. Odour samples must be collected in these bags. We also offer a sampling service. We go all over the country taking samples.”
Nose calibration is also available to external clients and Sara says people come from all over New Zealand for it.
“Lots of manufacturing companies want their staff calibrated because they get odour complaints. You have to be in a precise range to do it, so not everyone can be a panellist. Companies will send five or six people and see how it goes.”
Odour scouting is another service on offer, which involves standing at different points around a site to gauge the strength of any odours.
“I do odour scouting for the Māngere and Rosedale wastewater treatment plant, and our Rosedale colleagues also do their own weekly checks as some of them also have calibrated noses. We also do it for external companies, for example, landfills. As part of their consent, they have to use an external company to do monthly odour inspections.”
Article provided by Watercare
Watercare air quality technician Sara Mandalawalige Dona and Watercare air quality department head Phil Dobson at the Watercare Laboratory Services odour lab.
Using hydrothermal liquefaction to process wet waste
By Simon Arnold, liquid biofuels coordinator, Bioenergy Association of New Zealand
Wastewater operators routinely use physical, biological and chemical processes to clean up wet wastes for release back into the environment and for some resource recovery.
Thermal processes are also used –dried sludge is sometimes incinerated or pyrolysed, sterilising active material and greatly reducing the volume of the wastes. But the energy needed to dry the sludge, and the potential emissions, detract from the widespread use of these technologies.
A less well-known process, hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), can process sludge and food waste (~20% solids) at moderate temperatures (350˚C) and high pressures (200bar).
The high pressure causes the properties of the water to change so it breaks down the organic material in the feedstock, producing:
• a high calorific renewable biocrude (~40% of the solid waste by weight);
• a phosphorus-rich hydrochar along with ash (~20%);
• a nitrogen/ammonia rich aqueous phase with a very high COD (~50 g/L) (~30%); and
• a gas, ~95% renewable CO2 (~10%).
The products are sterile – the temperatures and pressures go well beyond what would be found in an autoclave – and a significant proportion of any difficult micropollutants like microplastics, pharmaceuticals and PFASs get broken down.
Also, the high calorific value of the biocrude allows very good returns on energy invested, and the reaction is fast, tens of minutes rather than days for biological processes. This means the plant is proportionately smaller and cheaper.
Much of the carbon gets concentrated into renewable products that can substitute for fossil fuel-based alternatives, offering opportunities for negative GHG emissions.
Internationally a small number of companies are offering HTL equipment at a scale suitable for much of New Zealand (1000 to 5000 dry tonnes per annum), e.g. Genifuel (USA), Circlia Nordic (Denmark). A local company, Solray, has demonstrated smaller plant.
To give some context, a 5000 dry tonnes p.a. plant would supply around three percent of the fuel for our coastal shipping.
Other HTL companies have modules of a larger minimum size, around 25,000 dry tonnes per annum: Licella (Australia), Steeper Energy (Denmark/Canada). They are targeting biomass and plastics rather than sludge to get the necessary volumes.
Both HTL and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) address sludge stabilisation, pathogen reduction, fuel production, with some resource recovery. However, AD suffers from comparatively higher cost, greater processing times meaning much larger plant, and low energy conversion efficiency leaving behind a significant carbon-rich digestate.
Cetogenix (a spin out of Scion) is entering
the market with an HTL related technology, hydrothermal oxidation, to process the digestate and address some of these issues.
So, what not to like about HTL?
There are engineering challenges because of the aggressive operating environment, the propensity for slurries under pressure to block reactors, and the need to very efficiently recover the energy used in getting to operating temperatures and pressures. But the manufacturers have by-and-large resolved these issues.
The raw products will need further processing to allow their full value to be realised or, in the case of wastes, to be disposed of safely. In each case there are solutions, but typically at a larger scale. The cost of doing this at a small scale is an overhead, but this is progressively being reduced.
In addition to his role at the Bioenergy Association, Simon Arnold is a director of Blended Fuel Solutions NZ that is looking to establish a Hydrothermal Liquefaction plant in New Zealand to process wet wastes.
Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) can process sludge and food waste (~20% solids) at moderate temperatures (350˚C) and high pressures (200bar)
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Features:
Antimicrobial Resistance in the Water Sector: Do we need to care?
By Belinda Cridge, Water
New
Zealand technical lead
(drinking water quality and education)
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is emerging as a both a global health challenge and a concern for water professionals. AMR occurs when microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, evolve mechanisms to resist the effects of antimicrobial drugs such as penicillin.
Without these treatments even common microbial infections can become lifethreatening. This increases the risks during pregnancy, surgical operations, and many other aspects of routine health care.
It is becoming clear that water professionals may have to play a key role in mitigating AMR due to detection of antimicrobialresistant organisms in aquatic environments, particularly wastewater systems.
During the recent Water New Zealand Conference & Expo, a group of experts were brought together to evaluate AMR in the Aotearoa New Zealand context and start the conversation regarding next steps.
Wastewater is likely a critical point where human, animal, and industrial waste containing antimicrobials or resistant microbes converge. This risks accelerating the spread of AMR across ecosystems.
AMR is often considered under the ‘One Health’ framework which recognises that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected. AMR is a prime example of this interconnectedness.
The misuse and overuse of antibiotics in healthcare, agriculture, and veterinary sectors result in residual antibiotics and
resistant bacteria entering the environment through water systems.
International data is showing that resistant bacteria in wastewater can persist even after treatment, spreading into surface water, groundwater, and drinking water sources.
Once in natural water bodies, these bacteria can enter the food chain through agricultural irrigation or recreational water use. The impact on human and environmental health is not yet clear. However the possibility is that the spread of AMR through water systems could further compromise the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatments, making previously treatable infections deadly.
The presence of AMR in water systems may pose significant risks to human and environmental health.
The One Health framework advocates for a multi-disciplinary response to tackle AMR, integrating efforts across public health, environmental management, and veterinary sciences.
Currently, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not fully equipped to remove all microbes and treatment processes such as oxidation may in fact increase AMR in wastewater effluents.
As a result, bacteria with resistance genes can survive or be formed through treatment processes and then be released into the environment. Additionally, wastewater acts as a medium where horizontal gene transfer – where bacteria exchange genetic material, including resistance genes – can occur, further spreading AMR.
According to recent studies, up to 70 percent of bacteria found in hospital wastewater was resistant to at least one antibiotic.
Data from Aotearoa New Zealand shows that the current AMR burden is lower than international findings but we have serious data gaps, particularly around the environmental transmission pathways where wastewater effluents could have significant impact.
Data from WWTPs across Europe show that common antibiotic-resistant pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, are frequently detected in treated wastewater, indicating
that current treatment methods may not be sufficient to address the AMR issue.
Already, many countries are considering implementing stricter regulations on wastewater management and improving surveillance systems to monitor AMR trends.
The European Union has recently introduced the Water Framework Directive, which includes a pilot project monitoring antimicrobial-resistant genes in water bodies, while the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is leading a co-ordinated monitoring programme for AMR and facilitating the installation of technology in WWTP to remove pharmaceutical residues.
Globally there is an urgent need to address AMR, with water playing a central role in this challenge.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified AMR as one of the top 10 global health threats and has advocated for a ‘One Health’ strategy in national action plans.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) emphasises the role of water management in controlling the environmental spread of AMR.
In 2015, the Global Action Plan on AMR was adopted, encouraging countries to improve surveillance in water systems and invest in wastewater treatment innovations to limit the spread of resistant bacteria. Here, the Ministry for the Environment is supporting this work and developing the relevant policy frameworks.
The emergence of AMR in water systems is a growing concern that water professionals should be aware of. Wastewater in particular serves as a critical hot spot for the development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance, leading to potential risks to human and environmental health.
To tackle this challenge, a coordinated effort that integrates the ‘One Health’ approach, robust surveillance systems, and advanced wastewater treatment technologies is necessary.
International policy responses are in place, but we need more data and better standards to ensure that we don’t end up with the same problems as experienced elsewhere.
Now or never: fight against invasive clam gets critical boost
NIWA has been awarded $10.2 million to eradicate an invasive clam that was only recently discovered in New Zealand waters.
The freshwater gold clam, or Corbicula fluminea, is native to eastern and southeast Asia but was found in several locations in the Waikato River catchment in May 2023. Without intervention, large-scale invasion of corbicula could result in significant and irreversible economic, social, cultural and ecosystem losses.
“This species breeds rapidly and densely, with tens of thousands of individuals occupying a single square metre. This means they successfully compete against native species for food and space, whilst also clogging up critical infrastructure such as water treatment plants,” says Dr Deborah Hofstra, NIWA principal scientist – freshwater ecology
“However, because it’s only recently been discovered here, we lack a detailed understanding of how this species will respond in New Zealand conditions; how readily they will spread, how severe the impacts will be, and what the most effective ways are to intervene?’
NIWA will work over the next five years to improve our understanding of the clams and develop tools and approaches to manage the clams and mitigate their impacts. The aim is to come up with effective solutions to control the clams at different spatial scales.
Deborah says the best chance to stop further spread of corbicula is by acting early.
Corbicula are found globally, having become an invasive species throughout Europe, South and North America. They can tolerate a range of habitats, and because they multiply extensively and their larvae move freely through water, they can easily be transported between connected waterways or by human activities.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) declared corbicula an Unwanted Organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993 in August 2023. MPI has already implemented several actions to help prevent the spread.
Article provided by NIWA
Empowering corporate teams to make a difference
WaterAid Australia is proud to foster a diverse network of partners and supporters working toward a common goal: ensuring access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for everyone, everywhere.
One of our most dynamic initiatives to engage our corporate partners in this mission is our Winnovators programme, an employee development programme offering corporate teams a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference in communities facing the most critical WASH challenges.
Winnovators is more than just a corporate social responsibility initiative. It’s a platform where employees from our corporate members come together, engage in meaningful work, and use their skills to develop solutions that could directly benefit WaterAid’s country programmes.
Teams across various organisations in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the UK raise funds for life-changing WASH projects and contribute their knowledge and experience, collaborating to help tackle real-world problems.
Winnovators stands out as an opportunity for employees to engage deeply with the mission of WaterAid, while also gaining valuable skills and experiences in the process.
The programme emphasises innovation, collaboration, and cross-organisational learning. Teams are challenged to think outside the box and develop solutions that are not only practical, but sustainable and adaptable to the communities they aim to support.
Winnovators 2024: A year of impact
This year’s Winnovators programme has been one of the most exciting and impactful yet.
Two teams from Aotearoa New Zealand, Watercare and Wellington Water, returned to join the challenge, bringing their experience and passion for WASH issues to the table.
Each team selected one of three challenges facing communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG). These challenges were designed to address urgent issues relating to water, sanitation, and hygiene, and each focused on integrating climate resilience into their solutions.
• Water challenge: Coastal communities in PNG are dealing with the dual challenge of accessing clean water and contending with the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels and unpredictable weather patterns. Teams were tasked with devising sustainable solutions that would help these communities secure reliable water supplies, while building resilience to the climate threats they face.
• Sanitation and hygiene challenge: In peri-urban coastal areas of PNG, proper sanitation infrastructure is often lacking, resulting in environmental and public health risks. Teams were asked to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to capture, contain and treat sanitation waste in ways that ensure environmentally responsible disposal.
• WASH workforce challenge: The third challenge focused on the need for greater educational and workforce development around WASH issues. Teams worked on campaigns or solutions to advocate for educational institutions to prioritise and promote WASH-related programmes, helping bridge the knowledge gap and empower future generations to tackle these challenges.
Over the course of four months, Winnovators teams worked to devise their solutions, engaging in over 100 fundraising activities and collaborating on their chosen challenges. The teams’ dedication was evident in the breadth and depth of their efforts, with a remarkable total of AUD$174,000 raised to support WaterAid’s work.
The two Aotearoa New Zealand teams alone raised over AUD$20,000.
Once the hard work was completed, each team submitted
their innovative solutions and fundraising results for review by a panel of judges. The competition was close, with all teams demonstrating creativity, innovation, and a passion for driving change.
On 25 September, WaterAid Australia hosted an online awards event to recognise the incredible efforts of all participating teams. The virtual event was an opportunity to reflect on the journey, celebrate achievements and share key learnings from the experience.
The overall winner of this year’s Winnovators programme was the team from BMD Constructions, who conducting in-depth research for their technical submission. They explored a range of solutions, ultimately focusing on rainwater harvesting and
improving water quality through biosand filtration.
The success of Winnovators 2024 is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation.
The teams’ contributions – both in terms of innovative solutions and fundraising – are helping WaterAid continue its mission to ensure clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene for everyone, everywhere.
As we celebrate the success of Winnovators 2024, we’re already looking ahead to next year’s programme. If your organisation is passionate about making a tangible difference in the world, join us for Winnovators 2025. To learn more, contact WaterAid Australia’s water sector partnerships lead Margaret Temelkovski at margaret.temelkovski@wateraid.org.au.
