Wellington Regional Water Board

Descriptive Data

TypeAgencyDate Range1973-1980DescriptionTowards the mid 1960s, the Wellington City and Suburban Water Supply Board controlled catchments totalling 52,200 hectares. As a non-rating body however, it saw itself without an independent income. It also did not represent Lower Hutt and Petone. Reform came in 1967 with the Water and Soil Conservation Act. This Act aimed to control all water resources in the country. As a result, Regional Water Boards started forming. Within the meaning of Water and Soil Conservation Act, the Wellington Regional Water Board Act 1972 constituted a Regional Water Board - to be known as the Wellington Regional Water Board - and provided for its functions, powers and duties. It defined the function of the Board as being “to investigate, construct, extend, enlarge, maintain and repair water works for the bulk supply of pure water to constituent authorities” The Wellington Regional Water Board absorbed the Wellington City & Suburban Water Supply Board, the Hutt Valley Underground Water Authority and the Hutt River Board. Its operational area extended from Waikenae in the north, and the Orongorongo range in the east and included 10 local authorities. Effective operation commenced on 1 March 1973, taking over Wellington Waterworks Division staff on 1 September 1974. Around the same time, Wellington City Council contracted the Wellington Regional Water Board to run its retails operation and maintain its reticulation on an agency basis. As well as bulk water supply, the WRWB was responsible for forestry, water resources management, soil conservation, rivers control, and recreation. It adopted a major WCC report from 1971, by JS Roberts, which identified the need to rehabilitate large sections of the existing system, increase the quality of water and introduce new sources for a rapidly expanding population. The board’s chief engineer Ron Bishop also recommended (in 1974) expanding the Kaitoke scheme and providing new storage at Te Marua. The board set about a major programme of system renewal and expansion works, but its existence was to be fairly short-lived (1973-1980). The functions of the WRWB and the Wellington Regional Planning Authority were combined under the Wellington Regional Council (WRC), a new local authority created in 1980.

Related Agencies

Successor Agency or OrganisationGreater Wellington Regional CouncilRelated Agency or OrganisationWellington City and Suburban Water Supply Board

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Wellington Regional Water Board