EMBRACING CHANGE: INSIGHTS FROM WELLINGTON WATER'S FRAMEWORK

Uki Dele (Wellington Water Ltd) and Jane Hancock (Holmes NZ LP)

ABSTRACT

Managing stormwater services presents unique challenges within the broader context of three waters management. Wellington Water manages three waters services on behalf of six owner councils. While water supply and wastewater services have been well-defined, stormwater management involves multiple parties with overlapping roles and responsibilities, often with conflicting priorities. In addition, managing stormwater services involves dealing with the inherent complexity of stormwater systems themselves.

To address these challenges, Wellington Water developed a Stormwater Management Framework document. This paper provides an overview of the process Wellington Water undertook to develop this document, highlights lessons learned and their applicability to the stormwater sector. Through discussion of key findings, this paper also provides a window into the Wellington Water model of stormwater and flood risk management for council owners. This offers valuable insights as we look to shape the transformation of our sector in the current environment of political uncertainty.

The development of the framework highlighted the variations among each council, emphasising the complexity of managing stormwater across multiple council owners and the need for clarity in roles and responsibilities. It also reinforced the necessity for a highly collaborative model that embraces a change from traditional asset management approach to an inclusive approach, incorporating nature-based and community-location-specific strategies.

The recent weather events in Auckland and Cyclone Gabrielle underline the urgency for councils to reassess their stormwater strategies. Key takeaways from Wellington Water’s development of the Stormwater Management Framework includes the importance for courageous conversations with councils and the community to proactively plan for recovery from weather events. And to integrate strategic investments in areas that can yield optimal outcomes for more resilient systems.

The paper highlights the complexities and opportunities from the Wellington Water model and stresses the importance of collaboration with councils, iwi, and the community. This collaboration is essential to help us shape our sector in this environment of change to make strategic investment decisions that deliver effective and sustainable stormwater services to support resilient communities.