Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Anita Baker: Porirua Mayor on Wellington Water overcharging ratepayers, if Nick Leggett should step down

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Anita Baker: Porirua Mayor on Wellington Water overcharging ratepayers, if Nick Leggett should step down · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So councils in Wellington are furious. I'm furious with a
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: new scathing report into Wellington Water. Just as we thought
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the agency couldn't get any worse. The report found alleged theft,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: poor value for money from contractors, and major structural issues.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: In fact, it says the Lower North Island rate payers
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: have coughed up three times what it should have cost
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: to fix the pipes. So Anita Baker is the polaro
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: of mayor and joins me now coccording to you, Anita.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Good morning.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: How was this allowed to happen?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Not just bloody? Is shocking the internal systems that Wellington
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Water with the competitive tendering process a complete jack up,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: just just disgrace.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Yep, Let's remember that last year Wellington Water revealed a
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: fifty one million dollar budget error. Remember that, of course
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: you do. It seems like the whole organization has been
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: a clown show.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: It certainly feels like that, and I have to thank
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: the new cepet Dockerty in Netleigets are running this report
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: and finding out these processes. Once that new CEE came
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: into place, staff just came out of with the issues
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: and we've been complaining about the pricing and this report
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: is an absolute eye.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: So staff knew about the issues.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Staff internally had problems and I think just didn't want
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: to come forward. You know, other people knew things. So
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: I think that organization has completely changed since Pat Dockety
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: has taken over. We're certainly you know, the price processes
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: have changed and they've got the even even though they
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: didn't have an IT system, For God's sake, how can
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: you not have an IT system that pay roll and
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: everything else they were relying on contract.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: Suggest perhaps they borrowed it because they didn't have enough
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: money to make their own.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: Yes, it was never set up from the start. Wellington
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Water was set up to fail from my point of
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: view all those years ago. Sure, and it has not been.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Should Nick leg Get stepped down his chair he's.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Offered, I personally don't think he should. We're a year
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: out from water reforms. Him and Pat are working exception
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: of well together. We're out to two new directors at
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: the moment. Why would you push someone who's just revealed
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: what we wanted them to come out and tell us
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: there was issues. I just don't see why you chop
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: the head off something when they're working well as good
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: as a team and we need the processes in place
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: to go forward with water reforms. So personally I count
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: to the point.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I get it because it's not the problems, not
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: with the head, it's with what's happening at the base.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: So you pilot of a city, you're working with Hot City,
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Upperhut City, Wellington City and Greater Wellington Regional Councils alongside
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: EWE Partners on a new model for water services delivery
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: and that new entity you're hoping to begin in July
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, is this under the local water done well?
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: And how are you looking to pull your ability to
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: borrow more money so you can fix the bloody pipes?
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: You're not wrong because we've got lots of pipes that
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: need fixing, So yes we are, and water done well
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: is the only way to fix this now, and I
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: think this proves it.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Oh Anita, I thank you so much. I'm so sorry,
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: and I thank you so much for your time today.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: It is shocking, shocking. For more from early edition with
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: Ryan Bridge, listen live to news talks it'd be from
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: five am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.