Wellington faces six-month sewage crisis as millions of litres continue spilling into Pacific

Residents report gastroenteritis, fatigue, chills, and mouth ulcers from contaminated water; Indigenous communities face food security threats as traditional seafood harvesting becomes unsafe.

Since February, a single mechanical failure at Wellington's Moa Point wastewater plant has reminded a city — and a nation — how fragile the infrastructure beneath modern life truly is. An air bubble in a pipe destroyed 80 percent of the facility's equipment, and for more than a hundred days, millions of litres of raw sewage have flowed into the Pacific while residents, businesses, and ecosystems absorb the cost. Mayor Andrew Little has now placed a timeline on recovery — six months to partial operation, nearly two years to full restoration — offering the city not relief, but the shape of its e

Wellington faces six-month sewage crisis as millions of litres continue spilling into Pacific

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