Multiparty Action Group on the Owhiro Catchment established

Solving the water contamination issues in the Owhiro Catchment is the ambitious goal of a new multiparty working pilot group.

The project is intended to be a pilot for catchments across the Wellington Region. Part of a drive behind the project is to implement the Government's National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management 2040. It will involve fixing both public and private water infrastructure, tightening compliance around discharges by all parties, including landfills, improving data gathering and analytics to track progress, and significantly expanding public access to data.

Greater Wellington Regional Council hosted the meeting and was represented by Alistair Cross, GM Environment, Lucy Baker, Manager Environmental Science, James Snowden, Team Leader Environmental Protection. Regional Public Health was represented by Mike Fisher, Health Protection Officer. Wellington Water was represented by Julie Alexander, Group Manager Network Strategy and Planning, Jeremy McKibbin, Group Manager Network Manager and Ian McSherry, Chief Advisor, Service Delivery. Eugene Doyle represented the Owhiro community. The intention is to invite Wellington City Council and Mana Whenua into the project.

The Owhiro Catchment pilot represents a concrete first step that will give effect to a number of the recommendations from the Mayoral Task Force on Three Waters once completed and will be a significant project for the city and region. The aim of the pilot is to bring various parties together to work collaboratively, create shared goals, identify issues, and help remove obstacles to quickly improve the water quality of the Owhiro stream and the bay for the benefit of the community and the natural environment.