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Māori have a special connection to wai (water) through whakapapa (genealogy), and an obligation as kaitiaki (guardians/stewards) of the water to protect this precious tāonga (treasure).
As the Wellington region’s professional water services provider, Wellington Water delivers essential water services to communities on our councils’ behalfs. We help to care for and protect water for future generations. Tangata tiaki, one of our core values, means we work together to protect our most precious tāonga.
Our focus is on prioritising the health and wellbeing of the wai, while still delivering essential services. This can be a tricky balance to achieve, and something we’ve not always been able to do. Aging water infrastructure and our councils’ financial constraints mean they are unable to fully fund the work needed to replace, upgrade and properly maintain the regional water network. This does sometimes prevent us from achieving the best outcomes for water.
Regardless, we strive to care for, protect, manage and use water responsibly. This is our obligation to mana whenua iwi, our councils and communities.
Shared values underpin mana whenua iwi partnership
In 2023, we jointly developed and signed a partnership agreement with Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira and Taranaki Whānui. This sets a solid foundation of values, guiding the way we work together, and is an important milestone on our journey to restore te mana me te mauri o te wai.
In practice, this means making decisions about the future as partners. We’ll work together in an open, honest and respectful way to find a way forward that benefits te mana me te mauri o te wai and provides the best outcomes for the environment and the community of Te Whanganui-ā-Tara.
We believe there’s strength in working together, nicely summed up in the following proverb:‘Whakapūpūtia mai o mānuka kia kore ai e whati’ – ‘Bundle your mānuka together so that it won’t snap.’
Tackling complex, regional challenges together
The water infrastructure challenges we face are often complex, requiring a joined up, regional approach.
We’ve recently established a Rōpū (‘group’), made up of representatives from Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui (PNBST), -Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, Hutt City Council and Upper Hutt City Council to collaborate on options to reduce or discontinue the intermittent discharge of treated wastewater to the Waiwhetū Stream in Lower Hutt, among other topics. These regular discussions will inform our approach to operating the regional stormwater and wastewater network, which is such an important area given recent population growth and continued impacts of climate change, which put extra strain on the region’s waterways.
This is a step in the right direction in making sure our mana whenua iwi partners are at the forefront of key discussions and planning.
Building our capability and mindset
A big part of engaging and consulting effectively with our mana whenua iwi partners is going back to basics and looking at our people’s cultural competency.
With language playing such a dominant part in understanding any culture, we started giving our people the training and support to build their capability to speak Te Reo Māori and, as part of that, their understanding of tikanga Māori.
We provide our people with regular Te Reo Māori classes, have in-house initiatives, such as our Waiata group, and provide pronunciation lessons. Some of our staff attended a one-day workshop, known as The Wall Walk, which gives our people an honest and raw account of New Zealand history. This perspective is important.
Our partnership with mana whenua iwi will continue to evolve, and we’ll keep looking into ways we can be better. The challenges the water sector faces across the motu have been well covered in the media, which further reinforces the need for water sector leaders to share knowledge and expertise with iwi and hapū, so that we can protect our wai, both now and for the generations ahead.
Wellington Water is owned and fully funded by Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Porirua City Council, Upper Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and South Wairarapa District Council. These councils own the water infrastructure in the region, and they task Wellington Water to manage the infrastructure and deliver water services to communities on their behalf.