Watercare announces record $500m investment in renewals to tackle Auckland’s problem pipes

Watercare is tackling water leaks and wastewater overflows with a record $500 million investment in replacing and upgrading ageing infrastructure in the next 18 months.

Watercare chief executive Jamie Sinclair says the investment is a 44 per cent increase compared to the $347m renewals programme spend in the 18 month-period ending 30 June 2025.

“We have an ageing water and wastewater network so this investment is crucial to make sure we can continue to deliver reliable services for our customers and reduce the number of leaks and overflows.

“Of the $500m investment we have planned for the next 18 months, about two thirds will be spent on pipes and other smaller assets, with the remainder on treatment plant infrastructure.

“Our local water network has more than 8800 kilometres of pipes, and most of them are in good condition. However, we know about three per cent of our water pipes are in poor condition and need to be replaced. This is why we’re ramping up our investment in pipe renewals and keeping that momentum going year on year.

“We can do this with certainty thanks to our financial independence under Local Water Done Well, which allows us to borrow more money while keeping prices affordable.”

While much of this work will be delivered by Watercare’s existing panel of approved contractors, contracts worth $75m for water and wastewater pipe replacements and upgrades will go to the open market – contestable by small businesses as well as Watercare’s pre-approved supplier panel – before Christmas.

“We’re expecting a lot of interest when this work goes out to tender as we know there are many smaller operators who are hungry for work,” Sinclair says.

Photo: Watercare Chief Executive Jamie Sinclair

“We’re looking forward to testing the market and finding additional suppliers who can help us to deliver our ambitious and ongoing renewals programme.”

Of the $75m investment going through the tender process before Christmas, $50m is for watermain renewals and $25m for wastewater pipe inspections and rehabilitation.

One package of work will be for the replacement of 4.6 kilometres of ageing cast iron watermains in Onehunga that were installed between 1910 and 1935.

“We’re targeting parts of Onehunga that have experienced higher numbers of watermain breaks or where our customers have reported discoloured water.”

Another focus will be the replacement of 1.5km of a 400-diameter watermain on Whangaparāoa Rd in the Hibiscus Coast. This section of watermain has experienced two major breaks in the past two years which have caused property damage.

Wastewater network inspection and renewal work will be focussed on Ōrākei, Waterview, Castor Bay and Wairau Valley. Details of the remaining work are still being ironed out.

Sinclair says: “We hope to find all of our contractors before Christmas and will be hitting the ground running in the new year when delivery really steps up.”