The two Points to this letter to the editor are:

1. Will our Mayor, Deputy chair of the Partners committee which Cr Edwards is also on, run a public meeting for Upper Hutt Residents?

Cr Edwards from Hutt City Council, who seconded the nomination to place our Mayor as Deputy of the Partners Committee, has setup a meeting on Rates and Water costs for those in Lower Hutt who wish to attend. Yet, our Mayor, Peri Zee, tells us in reply to an invitation to a Public Meeting.  “This would not be appropriate given the decisions sit with the Tiaki Wai board”.

Mayor Zee being nominated (Cr Ros Connelly GWRC and seconded by Cr Simon
Edwards HCC) and confirmed as Deputy Chair of the Tiaki Wai Partners Committee –
3m 30sec – https://www.youtube.com/live/1wcPvtkxb7Y?t=214s

To be clear, we are not asking for the back end of how this works, but what is going to effect on the city to whom she serves and has said would be transparent with.

Items our community wish to know include:

• Costs,
• Implementation date of the 1st July 2026?
• Water Meters,
• Direct Debits.

Several times in the past couple of months Tiaki Wai representatives have visited our council. They have expressed concerns that the message isn’t getting out to the public that Tiaki Wai exists and what they will be doing. Will Peet of Tiaki Wai even stated at the Partners Committee that only 1 in 6 know who Tiaki Wai are, and at a UHCC meeting on the 24th February 2026 they suggested that councillors would be supported by Tiaki Wai for people to approach them and ask questions.

16 Minutes – “Tiaki Wai are available to support councillors and for councillors to ask Questions on how it will work. So, when community bail you up in the supermarket, the warehouse, wherever else you can then explain.”

We, along with others have been actively trying to get the word out that the water services are changing, and what could be the potential costs, according to the limited information which has been available. We just hope that, with the view to be transparent and open, that Upper Hutt’s Mayor engages the council communications and provides at least what other councils appear to be starting to provide for their communities. We hope she can be a leader who drives for the community, not follows others and shy’s away from the big intergenerational issues.

 We hope that our mayors commitment to transparency will, in the next few weeks, provide an opportunity for the community to ask their questions at a public meeting, including those not on social media. So they can learn from Mayor Zee, who has put herself as the experienced person on the Partners Committee.

Mayor Zee is the Upper Hutt communities front-line, and leads the charge on our behalf with this intergenerational change for our community. 

The Hutt City meeting:

2. We have been asked about the deferring of decision to push forward with Tiaki Wai in 2026.

Many news articles are showing issues around the speedy formation of Tiaki Wai. We amongst others said on the 10th of December 2025 council meeting, that there needed to be a pause for these concerns and issues to be ironed out before continuing.  3 Councilors listened.  Thank you. 

 The Government Water Services Act (page 207) states that the initial Water Services Strategy does not need to be delivered until 30th June 2027 at the latest.

So Tiaki Wai could have been paused and the work done to ensure we had all the kinks and issues resolved before formation of a company to take over the water services for the Wellington Region.

A “thank you” to NZ Empowered for sending this letter to The Upper Hutt Connection.

13/04/26