12122 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government

12122 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Local Government: Which entity or entities does he expect will investigate the environmental damage and impacts to communities, culture and businesses caused by the Moa Point failure, given he has excluded those matters from the Crown Review Teams' terms of reference?

Hon Simon Watts: The Greater Wellington Regional Council, as the environmental regulator, is responsible for monitoring resource consent compliance under the Resource Management Act 1991, it is investigating the environmental impacts of the Moa Point failure. The Environment Protection Authority is providing oversight of the Regional Council’s investigation. The Crown Review Team was established to examine the events leading up to the Moa Point incident of 4 February 2026, and to provide assurance to me, the incoming water services organisation — Tiaki Wai, and the public. The terms of reference were informed by a range of inputs, including from the Mayor of Wellington City Council. Environmental and community impacts were not included in the scope of the Crown Review Team’s terms of reference, as this would duplicate the Regional Council’s statutory functions and unnecessarily extend the Review, at additional cost to Wellington ratepayers.