From the Mayor

What a precious resource drinking water is, and what a testing time this past month has been. Thank you once again to everyone who has worked with us and helped us through this situation, or just kept on going despite the challenges.

I am very relieved that the boil water notice has been lifted and that, the actions we took when faced with very low levels of E coli, prevented any potential increase in illness. Nonetheless, Council recognises the inconvenience the boil notice caused to businesses and residents. At the time of writing, a post-incident review is being undertaken and meetings are being planned with the members of the Martinborough Business Association, and the with the wider community, to share what happened and the lessons learned.

At the Council meeting on 20 February, the Council voted positively to bring forward the installation of the manganese extraction plant, which was detailed in, and consulted on as part of the Long Term Plan process. The original timeframe for installation was set for the financial year 2021/22. By bringing this forward, if there were to be another event like we’ve just had, the situation could be resolved a lot more quickly with chlorination. We are aware that not everyone is in favour of chlorination, and so the basis for this, in terms of whether chlorination would be on an ‘as required’ or permanent (residual) basis, would need to be discussed with the community, and in particular, with the wineries, to fully understand all the impacts. We are also mindful that central government may make chlorination of drinking water compulsory as one of the recommendations of its Three Waters Review. Starting these conversations early will put us in a better position should this eventualise.

At the same Council meeting, Council unanimously agreed to consult on its proposal to join Wellington Water. We think joining five other councils as a shareholder in Wellington Water would give us greater size and scale, and therefore greater access to expertise and buying power, enabling us to more affordably implement the anticipated regulatory changes coming from central government.

Wellington Water Ltd is not profit driven, and we would continue to own our infrastructure assets. The council-controlled organisation would provide management services to us and service delivery through its own staff. What Wellington Water is pitching is ‘improved services for the same cost, at reduced risk’. For our customers, things would work very much as the same as they do today. You would call us to advise of any issues with your water, wastewater or storm water. To find out more and to make a submission, please visit our website at swdc.govt.nz/wellington-water-proposal-have-your-say. Submissions close 15 March.

Consultation is also open for an Update to the Register of Notable Trees; closes 5 April. The Register is an appendix to the District Plan, and includes records of the trees within the district that are deemed worthy of protection. The Register is being updated to account for trees that no longer exist as well as new expert thinking in what makes a tree notable. More information swdc.govt.nz/notable-trees.

On a final note, we are calling for nominations for the 2019 Civic Awards, so please tell us about anyone in South Wairarapa who deserves to be recognised for their achievements in serving our community. Category winners for Community Service; Arts and Culture; Sport; Youth; and Environmental Service, and the overall 

“South Wairarapa Citizen of the Year” will be recognised at an awards evening on Monday 1 April at the Waihinga Centre. Nomination close 8 March. More information – swdc.govt.nz/civic-awards-2019. – 

Viv Napier