Clean and safe drinking water is essential for the health and wellbeing of our region. 

When we turn on a tap good-quality, safe water comes out. Each week enough high-quality water to fill Wellington's Westpac Stadium is delivered to homes and businesses across the region.

High quality water is collected in our forests and parks and flows into storage areas and through treatment stations.

The water to your homes and businesses in Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt, and Upper Hutt is supplied by Wellington Water. This comes from water collection areas that we own and maintain.

Supplying drinking water to your area

Wellington Water is responsible for: 

  • Supplying enough water each day to your area - around 140 million litres on average - to meet the needs of around 400,000 people
  • Maintaining a high quality of treated water, consistent with New Zealand's drinking water standards.

This is a council-controlled organisation owned by Greater Wellington Regional Council, Wellington City Council, Porirua City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council, and South Wairarapa District Council.

Once the water is in your area your local council look after piping it in and out of your homes and businesses.

Collecting and safeguarding drinking water

Our role is to collect provide and protect the fresh water for the homes and businesses in Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt, and Upper Hutt. To do this, together with Wellington Water, we:

  • Create and maintain the water supply network of water collection areas, pumping stations and pipelines for bulk water supply to this area. 
  • Plan for the resilience of our water supply so that our day-to-day life can continue after a major event such as an earthquake. Over the last few years we have been drilling under the harbour to find alternative water supplies and we are now investigating a cross-harbour pipeline.
  • Monitor the fresh water standards.
  • Prepare for future growth in demand as more people move to the Greater Wellington region.
  • Work with local community representatives on how they want to safeguard fresh water in their area.
Updated November 29, 2021 at 12:58 PM

Get in touch

Phone:
0800496734
Email:
info@gw.govt.nz