The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance is criticising today’s revelation in The Post that the cost of fixing greater Wellington’s water network needs an extra $2.6 billion across the next decade to fund the region’s new water company.

Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman James Ross said:

“The chickens are coming home to roost from decades of poor investment decisions. And the costs are mounting fast.”

“Decades of poor management and misguided focus on nice-to-haves have brought us to the point where Wellington is an increasingly unaffordable, unattractive place to live.”

“Not to mention the incompetence of the senior staff who have looked the other way as contractors run the show, staff don’t turn up to work and the pipes continue to spew water across the city.”

“The old Wellington Water model has failed to deliver on affordability resulting in pipework costing three times more than necessary and huge blowouts for the Moa Point plant."

“With council elections less than two months away, would-be councillors need to brush up on the looming financial crisis across the region so they can knuckle down on scrapping these vanity projects.”

NOTES

The Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance is a not-for-profit community group dedicated to championing prudent fiscal management of the Wellington region. Membership is free and open to all residents who sign up at www.wellingtonratepayers.nz.

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