Moa Point failure could have been avoided, Crown investigator says
And he says risks with a critical project were missed - akin to doctors performing heart surgery on a patient without fully assessing complications.
An independent Crown investigation into the catastrophic flooding of Wellington's sewage treatment plant at Moa Point has concluded that the disaster could have been prevented. According to the review, systemic governance failures by Wellington City Council, Wellington Water and the plant's operator Veolia led to the crisis. The investigation found that the plant's ultra-violet disinfection system, which was under renovation, was inadequately assessed for broader risks, much like performing heart surgery without considering the patient's overall health.
The final stage of treatment, which required UV channels to be replaced, significantly reduced the plant's capacity. As a result, more raw sewage was redirected through a bypass pipe, causing it to choke and flood during heavy rain. Six recommendations were made, focusing on accountability, communication and infrastructure management.
Chair of the Crown Review Team, Raveen Jaduram, stated that the most concerning aspect was that the catastrophe could have been avoided.
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