24 September 2026

The Wellington Regional Residents Association (WRRA) and members of the STOP TIAKI WAI campaign are raising concerns about the accessibility and transparency of Tiaki Wai’s Board meetings following difficulties obtaining information about tomorrow’s Board meeting.

Tiaki Wai’s own Board Meetings webpage states that Board meetings are open to the public, that agendas will be published on its website two working days before each meeting, and that members of the public wishing to attend should notify Tiaki Wai by email. The webpage lists the next meeting as Thursday 24 September 2026 at Level 4, 25 Victoria Street, Petone.

Despite following the contact instructions provided on Tiaki Wai’s website, our requests to attend the meeting and obtain the agenda were not acknowledged until tonight.

According to Tiaki Wai Board Secretary Jen Butler, staff who received our emails were unsure what to do with the requests.

This raises an important question: if Tiaki Wai publicly states that its Board meetings are open to the public, why is there no clear and effective process for members of the public seeking to attend?

We also raised concerns about the difficulty of locating Board agendas and minutes on the Tiaki Wai website. We were told that Tiaki Wai has “limited resources”.

For a publicly owned water organisation responsible for essential services and significant public expenditure, we believe transparency and accessibility should be fundamental—not something dependent on whether staff have sufficient resources to respond.

A further concern arose when a request for permission to video tomorrow’s meeting and share the recording with the thousands of ratepayers that follow the STOP TIAKI WAI campaign on Facebook. That request was subsequently declined.

We believe this raises legitimate questions about how members of the public can meaningfully observe and understand the decisions being made by Tiaki Wai’s Board.

Public attendance is one thing. Meaningful public transparency is another.

Many ratepayers may be willing to attend and present their views to the Board. However, some may decide not to participate if proceedings cannot be documented and shared with the wider community.

The STOP TIAKI WAI campaign is therefore calling for greater transparency around Tiaki Wai Board meetings, including:

• Clear and easily accessible publication of meeting agendas and minutes;
• A straightforward process for members of the public to register their attendance;
• Clear information about the public’s ability to observe Board proceedings;
• Greater openness about how important decisions affecting ratepayers and water charges are made; and
• for video recording or livestreaming of public Board meetings, so that ratepayers who cannot attend in person can still observe proceedings.

Ratepayers deserve to know how decisions affecting their water services and household costs are being made.

Transparency should not be an optional extra—it should be a fundamental part of public accountability.

Virginia @ Stop Tiaki Wai sent this letter to The Upper Hutt Connection.

24/09/26