NZ InfraWatch
Open the live map →
Wellington Water Infrastructure Renewals
Wellington Water / Greater Wellington RC · Wellington
Multi-year programme replacing Wellington's ageing pipe network, including major trunk mains, running since 2022. The city loses about 30% of its supply to leaks and roughly a fifth of its pipes are in poor or very poor condition. No total has been published for this renewals programme, so no figure is shown. For scale, the assets passed on 1 July 2026 to the new council-owned entity Tiaki Wai, which inherited more than 6,800km of pipe and estimates about $25b over 30 years to fix the network, against roughly 13km being replaced a year; Wellington Water previously put the need at about $1b a year for a decade.
Data current as at 13 Jun 2026, when the pipeline was last checked against its source.
Key facts
- Region
- Wellington
- Sector
- Water
- Status
- Under Construction
- Estimated value
- Value TBC
- Indicative completion
- 2030
- Funding status
- Part Funded
- Lead organisation
- Wellington Water / Greater Wellington RC
- Election risk
- Safe
Election risk assessment
Critical aging infrastructure replacement. Bipartisan support for water safety.
Government priority alignment
MEDIUM: Aligns with Local Water Done Well; locally led renewal of critical assets.
Chronology
- 2018Wellington Water identifies critical aging infrastructure across the network; pipe failure rate increasing
- 2020Major pipe failures cause city-wide boil water notices. Urgency recognised
- 2021January floods damage key infrastructure. Wellington Water plan expanded
- 2022Multi-year renewal programme begins; trunk main replacements start
- 2024Major work on Orongorongo trunk main and pump station renewals
- 2030Phase 1 programme target: 30% network loss reduction goal
Source
Wellington Water ↗ · RNZ (Wellington water $25b/30yr, Tiaki Wai) ↗ · RNZ: Wellington's new water entity estimates $25b over 30 years ↗