Wellington Water board chair Nick Leggett and director Mahina Puketapu have had their terms quietly extended until the utility is disbanded in 2026, drawing criticism over transparency from city councillors.
The extensions, confirmed by Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau, were decided at a closed Wellington Water Committee meeting last week. Councillor Tim Brown expressed frustration that councillors were only informed three days later, raising concerns about whether Whanau’s office was filtering key governance information.
“This now gives enough time to allow for a change of leadership and oversight of the actions flowing from the relevant reports to be implemented,” Whanau said. Leggett’s original term was due to expire in September.
Wellington Water is set to be replaced in 2026 by a regional water services entity with expanded borrowing powers, aiming to tackle the region’s long-standing infrastructure problems.
Leggett, who survived a February ousting attempt following damning 2025 reports on mismanagement and a $51 million budgeting error, said the decision to extend his role was made with unanimous committee support. He stated he has no plans to join the new water entity.
The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of Wellington Water’s leadership and a deteriorating water network across the region. Brown said the council was meeting Tuesday morning to discuss how it could ensure full and timely access to Wellington Water decisions.
“Do we rely on Tory to filter information?” Brown asked.