Watercare's Mark Crowle unveils details of its new $15.2 billion dollar spending plans for Auckland.
Up to 300 million litres of treated drinking water a day will come from the Waikato River to Auckland by the end of 2033, as part of a deal struck between Watercare and Waikato-Tainui.
The water entity has released its biggest-ever capital investment programme, promising to invest $15.2 billion over the next decade, creating thousands of jobs.
“This is the first time that I’m aware of in New Zealand’s history that we’ve had a long-term programme of work that will give our suppliers, contractors, designers, everybody in the industry, the confidence that we’re going to invest,” Watercare chief programme delivery officer Mark Crowle told the Herald.
“And it gives them the confidence they can actually skill up, they can actually go and buy plant equipment and invest in their people.”
The new investments include more than 1000 projects across nine major programmes aimed at renewing ageing infrastructure, making water networks more resilient and building infrastructure for the growing population.
A new alliance deal has been signed for the Waikato River project that will see a $1.7b spend, including a new raw water intake, a 50km pipeline, a new 50-megalitre reservoir at Pukekohe West and a new water treatment plant.
“The new treatment plant that we’re building at Waikato is within the current agreements and current consenting regime,” Crowle said.
“The Waikato water treatment plant is essential to provide that resilience and water security for Auckland from the mid-2030s going forward.”
The $15b programme includes $4b of new spending.
The $1.6b Central Interceptor opened last week and now that project has been completed, two new interceptors are launching in Avondale and at the Motions wastewater catchment, at a cost of $1.6b.
The aim is to reduce wet-weather overflows.
“It’s around growth and population demand but also ensuring that we’re picking up the overflow points,” Crowle said.
“The whole objective of that particular programme is to eliminate the overflows into the Waitematā Harbour. We’re picking up those overflow points too, which will direct that back into the Central Interceptor.”
Watercare chief executive Jamie Sinclair said the programme represented a significant milestone for Auckland.
“This is the largest infrastructure investment programme Watercare has ever undertaken and represents a step change in how we plan and deliver infrastructure,” Sinclair said.
Watercare chief executive Jamie Sinclair (right) at the opening of Auckland's $1.6 billion Central Interceptor. Photo / Corey Fleming
“Auckland is dealing with decades of underinvestment while continuing to grow. We are renewing ageing assets, strengthening the resilience of our network and building the new infrastructure needed to support future growth – all at the same time.”
Watercare has opposed some proposed fast-track residential projects because they represent out-of-sequence growth and are in areas the entity can’t service for decades.
Crowle said the plan showed Aucklanders where growth should – and shouldn’t – go.
“I think it sends a key message to everybody in Auckland as to where we’re going to place that investment and what that will look like over at least the next 10 years,” he said.
About 50% of the spend will go on renewals.
A sinkhole reopened on a flood-damaged Auckland street this week, raising infrastructure fears.
A sinkhole reopened in the leafy central Auckland suburb of St Marys Bay this week, raising concerns yet again about our ageing infrastructure.
“It’s trying to balance renewals of ageing infrastructure with the growth component and it works out to roughly 50/50 over the whole programme of work,” Crowle said.
“In earlier years, it’s actually slightly more in the renewal space, but as we ramp up into these large programmes of work and projects, it more levels out to around that 50/50 split.”
The Rosedale Wastewater treatment plan will also be upgraded, with $600 million spent on new technology to increase resilience and environmental performance.
The infrastructure industry has long called for a secure pipeline of work, to help plan for a workforce and investment.
“The Central Interceptor created well over 4000 jobs,” Crowle said.
“This programme is likely to be into the tens of thousands [of jobs] due to the scale of the projects.
“The Waikato water programme is a bigger spend than the interceptor and we’re looking at coming to market later this year. That’ll be about a five-year programme of work, so significant jobs in that one alone.
“This 10-year programme is just the start. We’re now starting work on our 20- and 30-year programme, so this will be an enduring piece of work,” Crowle said.
Katie Bradford is a Senior Correspondent at the Herald . She has been a broadcast journalist for over 20 years and was based in the press gallery for 10 years. She specialises in politics, business and Auckland issues.
