Podcast appearances and mentions of wellington water

Water meters from Tiaki Wai will cost rate payers $590 million to install – $178 million more than was estimated last year. Director of NZ Infrastructure Commission and former Wellington City Councillor Tim Brown shares his expertise on the cost of water metering. He is setting up a setting up a water users' advocacy group and called the figures "nonsensical." And should this project be done in house by Tiaki Wai or by tender? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Politics Thursday Nick is joined by Labour MP Ginny Andersen and National MP for Otaki Tim Costley Things get fiery over calls from the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) on increasing tax. Specifically IRD want to see an increase to the goods and services tax (GST) rate, offering a cash transfer to low-income earners and a Capital Gains Tax. The politicians face off over the best way to increase government funds, and which of their policies will help Kiwis? Then onto the crisis in Iran. Andersen and Costley give their thoughts on Trump's actions with Strait of Hormuz and on his social media Truth Social. Also, should politicians go after the Pope? Also, the new Wellington Water entity Tiaki Wai's board pay is concerning Mayor Andrew Little and Minister Simon Watts. The politicians share what can be done, and their thoughts on the salary doubling in some cases. Then they talk trust in the media, which has risen for the first time since 2020 and Winston Peters comments that the new ferries may not be operated by KiwiRail - who else could do it? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Wednesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Working Ourselves Into a State/Should We Be More Fiscally Acerbic?/All Kinds of Schools, All Kinds of Fuels/Why Would You Want to Make Your Own Fuel Though?/What Do They Do All DaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns have been raised over the new Wellington water entity, as its board members will be paid twice as much as their Wellington Water counterparts. The group's new chair will be paid $110,000 - a higher figure than the $60,000 Wellington Water's previous chair was paid. The entity's CEO will also be paid $645,000 - a higher amount than the previous Wellington Water CEO got. Wellington mayor Andrew Little says this is disappointing news, even if the group has plenty to manage. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns have been raised over the new Wellington water entity, as its board members will be paid twice as much as their Wellington Water counterparts. The group's new chair will be paid $110,000 - a higher figure than the $60,000 Wellington Water's previous chair was paid. The entity's CEO will also be paid $645,000 - a higher amount than the previous Wellington Water CEO got. Wellington mayor Andrew Little says this is disappointing news, even if the group has plenty to manage. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Mills wraps the week with Friday Faceoff with Chief Executive of Infrastructure NZ, and former Porirua Mayor Nick Leggett and National Secretary of the Public Service Association Fleur Fitzsimmons. Starting with the war - how long will the effects last for Kiwis? Fitzsimmons and Legget talk stability of the ceasefire, They debate the fuel crisis, the government's response and how our country will survive. Then onto electrifying NZ, with the wake up signal of the Strait of Hormuz closing - Is solar the answer to our countries problems? Christopher Luxon as a leader - is a CEO the leader we want? After his stumbles in the media lately, is he coping with the pressure of these highly unstable times? And who else could step up? After Nicola Willis has fronted the fuel crisis, our panel discuss the signs of a new National leader. Tiaki Wai and Wellington's water woes - As former Chair of Wellington Water, Nick Leggett shares his insight into the transfer of the water entities to Tiaki Wai ownership. The panel discuss the high-water bills and the necessity for them. Fitzsimmons wants more transparency for the reality of household's rates rises. Then the surge in drugs seizures at the border - can NZ win the war on drugs? Customs Minister Casey Costello says “We're not winning, but I wouldn't say we're losing.” Do our panel agree? Leggett and Fitzsimmons address the harms it's doing to our community, and the solutions. Plus, the panel give their hot and nots for the week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The local government minister says he's called Wellington's mayor for a please explain over huge water bills for residents, which are forecast to hit almost seven grand a year by the end of the decade. One of the region's mayors says that figure is horrendous and unaffordable, and she's worried it will drive people out of the region. Wellington's new water entity, Tiaki Wai, is a council-controlled organisation taking over Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua City Councils water assets from July. It's warning residents of steep rises in charges as the organisation tries to fix old, failing infrastructure. Ellen O'Dwyer reports.

The cost of Wellington's water bills has been announced - and starts with a standalone charge of roughly $2410 a year, expecting to reach $6831 within a decade. Minister for Local Government Simon Watts has expressed concern in the cost to Wellington ratepayers, saying he contacted Andrew Little for an explanation to a rise in the plans he initially saw. Nick speaks to Chairperson of Tiaki Wai Will Peet to get his answer for Watts. He said while he understands the concern, he isn't worried. Peet shares what has gone into the price tag, saying we can't continue kicking the bucket and it's time we have to pay. What will the new entity do differently to Wellington Water, and how can we trust them? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air trapped in a pipe could have contributed to the massive blow back of sewage that flooded the Moa Point treatment plant. Modelling in an initial report suggests during high water flow turbulence traps air in the bypass pipeline. That air acts as a block reducing waste flows. Pressure from trapped air could have forced sewage backwards up the pipe flooding the treatment plant. Wellington Water's chief operating officer Charles Barker spoke to Lisa Owen.

Nick Mills wraps the week with former Wellington City Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast and former Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy. Are we panicking too much over the fuel supply from the Strait of Hormuz? Or is this justified? How badly is our country going to be impacted by the US/Israel Iran conflict? Fuel, food, economy – our guest faceoff on the important issues of the week. They discuss line of privacy as a public figure. Both have had to endure the political spotlight on their family lives and give their take on the situation around Minister Hipkins this week. Where does public interest end? Last year there was a speeding fine issued every minute, now the AA is calling for fines to double. Do our panel think this will help deter speeders? Then Prendergast and Guppy faceoff about the affordability of mince. Are there any cheap family meals anymore? Moa Point inquiry – costing over 5 thousand a day. The inquiry is being headed by a former head of Wellington Water, what do our panel think of this appointment and the progress from this? And are parents justified for criticising teachers for giving out lollies? Is it an issue for their health and behaviour, or uproar over nothing? Plus the panels hot or nots. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Residents in the Wellington suburb of Miramar are disturbed after sewage exploded out of their toilets. Work being done by Wellington Water contractors apparently caused the sewage to back up. It comes after a major failure at the nearby Moa Point water treatment plant earlier this month which has discharged millions of litres of raw sewage into the Cook Strait every day. Kaya Selby reports.

Nick Mills wraps the week with former MP and Attorney General Chris Finlayson and director of NZ Infrastructure Commission and ex councillor Tim Brown. Moa point continues to be an issue. Is it a long time coming? Brown and Finlayson face off on funding, spending and leadership of the plant and Wellington Water. Then they get into the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. What does this unprecedented scene mean for the future of the royals? And things get fiery over Minister Bishop's suggestion the government are reconsidering the state highway 1 improvements. We also get their hot or nots of the week plus former minister Finlayson's thoughts on Seymour's plan to decrease portfolios and merge ministries. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little says everyone is now in the hands of central government, as an inquiry is announced into the catastrophic failure at the Moa Point Water Treatment Plant. A Crown Review team's being appointed to look into the failure of Wellington's wastewater facility. Little was met with clear frustration from locals at a lack of clear answers at a public meeting on the issue in Kilbirnie last night. He told Ryan Bridge people need the chance to express their anger, but says the review is now a matter for ministers. He says they need to figure out what happened as a matter of public confidence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast 2025, The government's ordered an independent review over what happened at Wellington Water's Moa Point, Mayor Andrew Little tells Ryan what he hopes will come out of it. A new report shows business conferences contributed nearly $1 billion to the kiwi economy last year, Business NZ Advocacy Director Catherine Beard shares her thoughts. Contact Energy posted a half year net profit increase of 44% to $205 million, Shareholders Association CEO Oliver Mander provides analysis. Plus, Australia Correspondent Donna Demaio has the latest on the alleged Bondi terror gunman's first court appearance and a major supermarket chain accused of misleading customers, faces court action. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday Faceoff this week, Nick was joined by former Hutt City Mayor and ex-committee chair of Wellington Water, Campbell Barry, along with broadcaster Mark Sainsbury. They discussed the latest issues and accountability around the Moa Point sewage crisis, Wellington Mayor Andrew Little's pledge to cut commercial rates, the Government's LNG proposals and whether having a degree these days is important. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All eyes are on the government's response to the Moa Point sewage plant meltdown. Wellington Water's chief executive is warning the public the capital's south coast could be off limits for months. Meanwhile the city's mayor wants a ministerial inquiry. Crews have spent the weekend trying to clean up the wastewater plant and get to the damage after it was shut after being flooded by raw sewage. In the meantime, millions of litres of untreated sewage have been spilling out into the Cook Strait since early Wednesday. Nick James reports.

Wellington Water is hoping it'll get a clearer idea of the extent of the damage to the Moa Point Water Treatment Plant in the coming days. Wellington Water Chief Executive Pat Dougherty spoke to Corin Dann.

Moa Point has been testing as non-compliant for all but two months of the last two years. The signs were there, but no one seemed to raise concern before the wastewater plant started pumping raw sewage into the south coast of Wellington. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Leggett is the Chair of Wellington Water. He joins the show to talk through the latest updates on the Moa Point sewage leak, including how the response is progressing, how long we will have to wait till its safe again and what it means for Wellington's coastline and local communities going forward. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FIRST WITH YESTERDAY'S NEWS (highlights from the long weekend on Newstalk ZB) Even for Missing Waitangi Day/I Thought School Was All About Judging/Who Can Stop the Poo?/When Privacy Died/Rough Sunday Morning for the Chiefs... and All of UsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Water's chief executive said an inspection of the the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant today has revealed the damage is as bad as they feared. An equipment breakdown at the plant has flooded the site with untreated sewage which is also pouring into the ocean at a an average rate of about 70 million litres per day. Lauren Crimp has more. 

Revelations Wellington's wastewater treatment plant has been non compliant almost every month for the last two years - after a huge failure yesterday. Heavy rain flooded the Moa Point plant's lower floors, causing it to shut down and millions of litres of sewage to pour into the ocean. Wellington Water Chair Nick Leggett told Heather du Plessis-Allan that there's going to have to be significant money spent on Wellington's plants from now on. He says they haven't had the investment over many years that's needed to keep them up to scratch. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some Wellington beaches are off limits with massive amounts of raw sewage being pumped out to sea after a treatment plant was swamped in contaminated water, during heavy rain. It could take months to repair the damage at the Moa Point treatment plant. During heavy rain last night water backed up in the outfall pipe and flooded the site in metres deep raw sewage. Wellington Water chief executive Pat Dougherty spoke to Lisa Owen.

Wellington Water says about 70 million litres of raw sewage is pouring into the sea every day the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant is out of action. Wellington mayor Andrew Little spoke to Corin Dann.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little says critical damage to the city's wastewater treatment plant couldn't come at a worse time. Heavy rain flooded the building's lower floors causing sewage to leak into Tarakena Bay, writing off equipment and forcing the plant to shut down. Wellington Water says it could take months to fix and urges people to stay off beaches along the south coast, and avoid collecting seafood. He told Mike Hosking the failure appeared to be a “freak thing”, and since becoming mayor, nobody had ever indicated to him that the treatment plant was at risk. He says there's been ongoing investment in it, and they have contractors looking after all the rest. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Repairs at Wellington's Moa Point treatment plant could take months, as raw sewage flows into the region's southern coastline. An equipment failure caused the outfall pipe to become backed up with water - with last night's heavy rain flooding the building's lower floors. Wellington Water says electrical equipment's submerged and some areas are inaccessible. Chief executive Pat Dougherty says it's likely something bigger is wrong with the outflow pipe, but investigations are still ongoing. "The real problem is the damage the water has done, it's huge amounts of wastewater poured through the plant. We've got control panels underwater, we've got electrical equipment underwater...and we've got no power." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A grim prediction, as Wellington Water crews return to the city's wastewater treatment plant to determine what's caused Wednesday's catastrophic failure. Heavy rain's caused the Moa Point plant to shutdown, sending wastewater into the capital's South Coast. Crews are trying to ascertain the full impact of the flooding on the equipment and operations. Wellington Water CEO Pat Dougherty told Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills it'll be months before people can safely go in the water, as sewage floods out to sea. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington City Councillor says he's frustrated to see yet another example of the capital's water infrastructure failing. Heavy rain flooded the city's wastewater treatment plant's lower floors, causing sewage to leak into Tarakena Bay, writing off equipment and forcing the plant to shut down. Untreated wastewater is currently flowing into the southern coast, with Wellington Water saying it could take days to fix. Wellington Eastern Ward Councillor Sam O'Brien told Ryan Bridge it's an ongoing issue, and this isn't an isolated thing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New numbers show that daily water loss in Wellington City has dropped by around 11 million litres per day - that's four Olympic swimming pools saved every single day. Wellington Water chairperson Nick Leggett spoke to Corin Dann.

Wellington's metropolitan councils have agreed to replace beleaguered Wellington Water with a new stand-alone entity. Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry, who chairs the Wellington Water Committee, says unlike Wellington Water, the new entity will own the infrastructure itself. He spoke to Corin Dann.

Tom discusses the latest events in Te Whanganui-a-Tara including local government update and the missing Wellington Water report.

Tom updates Kathryn on the latest issues in Wellington including the controversy surrounding Wellington Water, the Crown observer's latest report, the council's proposed plan to charge commercial rates to short term rentals like Airbnb, and the upcoming local body elections.

I sort of hinted at this the other day when the monitor for the Wellington City Council put out his second report. My question was, given there was leaking and dysfunction and the punter was at their wits end, what now for Wellington? Do we just get more reports? Well, lo and behold, another Wellington operation has their own monitor in the form of the Commerce Commission who have been brought in to oversee the mess at Wellington Water. The Minister has not seen any improvement, there's been no real change and unless stuff happens, there are rate rises galore for no real gain. So once again we can ask, what do the Commerce Commission do? Do they write reports too? If those reports tell us the place is still a shambles, how many reports does it take for someone, somewhere, to actually fire up a bit of action? I can also add, and this is an overarching observation, just how dysfunctional does Wellington need to get before it literally implodes on itself? The electorate changes last week were all in Wellington. Why? Because people have left and, to be frank, who can blame them? Then we come to Tamatha Paul, who made what most observers seemed to suggest was one of the most extraordinary comments about police anyone had ever heard. Her good friends in Labour called them stupid. The Prime Minister called her insane. Yet she holds an electorate. The good people of Wellington central, and by no small margin I might add, looked at her credentials and decided they liked her enough to vote for her. So Wellington, what's the story? What level of madness and dysfunction are you willing to tolerate before change comes? Is change ever coming? Do you actually want change? Do you mind paying a lot more than you need to for stuff that doesn't work? Is a crummy council, a lot of broken pipes and a mad MP OK, as long as your cycleways are fun to ride on? Oh, did I mention the trains? You can't beat Wellington on a good day. When, Wellington, was your last good day and why are you putting up with it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Water's Board Chair is has held on to his job for now after Monday's extraordinary meeting with the water company's leadership group. Reporter Nick James spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Leaders in the Wellington region will discuss the future of the Wellington Water Board Chair on Monday at an extraordinary meeting. Councillor Nikau Wi Neera spoke to Corin Dann.

Wellington's mayor, and most of the city councillors, called for the Wellington Water board chair to resign last week in the wake of two scathing reports. Councillors will discuss the future of Nick Leggett at an extraordinary meeting on Monday. Councillor Diane Calvert spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Porirua mayor Anita Baker says the proposed `kangaroo court' targeted at the Wellington Water chair is a disgrace. 

Wellington's Mayor Tory Whanau and the majority of the city's councillors have called for Wellington Water chair Nick Leggett to resign over what they call severe failings and 'millions of dollars wasted'.

There are calls for Wellington Water's boss to resign as the embattled organisation faces the prospect of legal action. The fallout from two scathing reports into the water provider is coming thick and fast after they found the region's ratepayers are being charged three times as much for water repairs as other areas of the country. Wellington issues reporter Nick James reports.

Wellington Water released a scathing report on Monday pointing, among other things, to poor value for money from contractors. Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard spoke to Corin Dann.

The fallout from damning Wellington Water reports is ramping up. Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy, Porirua deputy mayor Kylie Wihapi, and Wellington City councillor Ben McNulty spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

On today's episode, Donald Trump is set to address a joint session of congress where he'll outline his agenda on immigration, the economy, and his approach to Ukraine, Ukraine President Vlodymyr Zelensky has released a statement in response to Donald Trump's withdrawal of US military aid, and the fallout from damning Wellington Water reports is ramping up.

Treasury's chief economist gives a house price prediction, while a relatively unknown Canadian billionaire is taking a larger stake in NZ Herald's listed owner NZME. Dan also discusses Trump's crypto plays and how Wellingtonians ended up paying three times what other regions are paying for water repairs.

There is growing anger in Wellington over revelations the capital's ratepayers have been paying nearly three times more for water repairs than in other parts of the country. 

Wellington Water board Chair admits the relationship between the organisation and its contractors got too friendly. The comments follow a scathing report, showing the the cost of unplanned water pipe repairs in the Wellington region is three times higher than in other regions. A probe has uncovered poor value for money from contractors, loose financial controls and even one case of alleged theft. Bill Hickman reports.

An urgent meeting of the Advisory Oversight Committee has been called for Tuesday morning to discuss Monday's scathing report on Wellington Water. Wellington Water board chairperson Nick Leggett spoke to Alexa Cook.

An urgent meeting is being held in Wellington to look at Monday's highly critical report into Wellington Water. Reporter Nick James spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

On today's episode, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand is standing up for the international rules-based order in supporting Ukraine and that position hasn't changed, the government is promising a $285 million "uplift" that will bring in a hundred new foreign-trained doctors into the primary care workforce, an urgent meeting of the Advisory Oversight Committee has been called for Tuesday morning to discuss Monday's scathing report on Wellington Water, and Neon's low budget film Anora and filmmaker Sean Baker ruled the night at the 97th Academy Awards, winning five trophies.

One of the Wellington region's busiest roads, State Highway Two through the Hutt Valley will be severely disrupted when Wellington Water digs up an aging sewerage pipe that runs under it. Nick James reports.

Wellington's Water says the risk of water restrictions this summer has diminished. But it still wants households and businesses to be careful.