Watercare Unveils Wonder Wai Discovery Centre At Balmoral School

Today OCTOBER 10, 2025, year 5 and 6 students at Auckland’s Balmoral School became the first to explore Watercare’s newWonder Wai Discovery Centre – an immersive experience designed to boost understanding of Auckland’s water journey, from sky to sea.

The Wonder Wai includes interactive games and models that take visitors through six key stages of Auckland’s water journey: rainfall, water sources, water treatment, household use, wastewater treatment, and water’s return to nature.

Watercare’s chief corporate affairs officer Meg Wiltshire says the Wonder Wai Discovery Centre is a fantastic way for the company to connect with its communities and spark curiosity about how water and wastewater are managed in an urban environment.

“Most of us – myself included before I came to Watercare – give very little thought to the journey water goes on before it comes out of our taps, and what happens to it when it goes down the drain. Wonder Wai will help to change that.

“It’s actually an incredible process, and Wonder Wai brings it to life in a really fun and accessible way. When people understand our networks, they’re more likely to use water wisely and take part in conversations about Auckland’s future infrastructure and climate resilience,” Wiltshire says.

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“It’s a chance to build people’s knowledge about how carefully we treat water in Auckland – ensuring it’s safe to drink straight from the tap. We want everyone to feel confident about the water they use and understand the infrastructure that makes it possible.

“Fun activities like our ‘What not to flush’ game are a fantastic way to share the crucial ‘3Ps’ message – only flush pee, poo and toilet paper to prevent blockages in the wastewater network and protect the environment.”

Balmoral School teacher Stephanie Slaven, who attended with her class, says her students were very engaged with the immersive activities.

“It sparked so many interesting conversations – especially about the amount of infrastructure and effort required to get water to and from your home. It’s an incredible learning experience.”

The travelling visitor centre will primarily go to communities where Watercare is undertaking infrastructure projects, popping up at local events and markets, Wiltshire says.

“Given we are delivering a $13.8 billion investment programme over the next 10 years, our new discovery centre will be travelling all over Auckland.”

The Wonder Wai Discovery Centre is part of Watercare’s wider water literacy programme. This includes free in-school lessons delivered by qualified teachers to primary and intermediate students across Auckland.

Each year, up to 16,000 pupils take part in hands-on sessions that teach water quality, conservation, and how to protect local waterways.

These lessons align with the New Zealand Curriculum and help children become proactive water guardians – often inspiring positive changes at home too.

Secondary students have the chance to tourWaitākere Dam, one of five western dams that together supply 20 per cent of Auckland’s water. The 90-minute experience shows how water is sourced, treated, and delivered, reinforcing the importance of protecting our natural resources.

This weekend OCTOBER 11-12, people can experience the Wonder Wai Discovery Centre at BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival in Aotea Square.

Notes

Here is the Wonder Wai Discovery Centre's event calendar:

• Saturday 11 October and Sunday 12 October, midday-9pm at the BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival at Aotea Square in Queen St.
• Saturday 18 October, 10am-2pm at Beachlands Wastewater Treatment Plant open day, 100 Okaroro Drive, Beachlands.
• Saturday 25 October, Sunday 26 October, and Monday 27 October (Labour Day), 10am-4pm at Ngā Mirumiru Bubbles at MOTAT.
• Saturday 1 November, 9am-3pm at Sandringham Street Festival, 598 Sandringham Road
• Saturday 15 November and Sunday 16 November,10am-5pm at the Go Green Expo, Eventfinda Stadium, Argus Place, Glenfield
• Saturday 22 November, 9:30am-6pm at Grey Lynn Park Festival, Murdoch St, Grey Lynn
• Saturday 29 November, 9:30am-5pm at Albert Eden School Cultural Festival, Rocket Park, Councillors Drive, Mt Albert
• Sunday November 30, all day at the Farmers Santa Parade, Aotea Square, Queen St
• Saturday December 6, 10am-2pm at our Wesley and Ōwairaka water upgrades community event, Ōwairaka District School, 113-115 Richardson Road, Mount Albert

About Watercare:

• Every day, we supply about 440 million litres of safe drinking water to 1.7 million people in Auckland. We also collect and treat their wastewater.
• Over the next 10 years, we will carry out more than 1000 projects to improve and expand our water and wastewater infrastructure – investing an average of $3.8 million every day ($13.8 billion in total).
• Our infrastructure investment programme will help to keep our precious environment healthy by reducing the frequency of wastewater overflows onto land and into waterways.

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