South Wairarapa District Council’s Infrastructure Committee met on Thursday 29 October, with discussions ranging from future energy needs and water services to bridge resilience and major infrastructure projects across the district.
Our Infrastructure Committee provides oversight and monitoring of Council’s operational functions and capital programmes for roading, the water network, waste management and minimisation, public amenities and Council properties.
We know not everyone can tune in, so here’s a look at some of the key items from the agenda.
Powering the future
Representatives from Powerco visited and briefed the committee on how the region’s energy infrastructure will need to evolve to support population growth, economic development, climate resilience and the shift to lower-emission technologies.
The presentation shared insight into current planning initiatives, future investment requirements, and opportunities for collaboration between infrastructure providers, local authorities, and stakeholders. One initiative they shared is a trial of PowerHub – a backup power solution that helps keep a community building, such as a hall or marae, running if there’s a lengthy outage on our electricity network.
Understanding these challenges can help Council plan for a future where communities and businesses may increasingly rely on electricity to power transport, heating and industry.
Progress on community facilities
Our Community Operations team takes care of the day‑to‑day services and facilities that keep South Wairarapa moving and connected. They look after our community buildings, halls, reserves and public spaces, senior housing, cemeteries, and transfer stations, and carry out regular inspections, maintenance and renewals to keep everything safe and working well.
Here’s a snapshot of some of the projects they have been working on:
Campground infrastructure upgrades
Upgrades to the Lake Ferry Campground bathroom have recently finished. Fortunately, the Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF) put $43,000 towards the work, almost half of the overall budget.
Carkeek Observatory
The structure built around Carkeek Observatory to protect it is now complete. It will be featured in the Featherston Heritage Festival as an event, and the Featherston Heritage Museum will display several pieces from the original structure in the museum.
Public toilets
The Featherston Public Toilets work is underway and due to be completed by the end of December. An issue was raised about the original decision to not have temporary toilets during that time and as a result, five port-a-loos were installed behind the toilets at the Joy Cowley playground.
Looking forward – carpark resurfacing
Planning is underway to resurface the South Wairarapa Working Men’s carpark (which Council leases). We’re working with the club so that they can also resurface their section of the carpark and accommodating their arrangements to install EV charging at the same time.
Take a look at some more of our projects here Community Operations – projects
Capital water projects
Our water team shared a progress update about our vast network of water and wastewater treatment plants. This includes work at the Waiohine Treatment Plant to provide a permanent, reliable and safe caustic dosing system and storage to reduce Health & Safety hazards and significant operating costs.
Greytown desludging
A revised plan for Greytown desludging is complete and incorporates a new location and design as a result of flooding in the area during the June weather event. The Plan is being reviewed by Greater Wellington Regional Council and Papawai Marae. Construction of the containment space is expected to start in December with desludging expected to be complete mid-April
Water treatment plant upgrades
Planning and design work continues for wastewater treatment plant upgrades across Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough to improve water management and infrastructure. Martinborough plant upgrades are scheduled to commence on 9 November, with Greytown and Featherston to be completed in stages through to August 2028.
Find out more about water projects here – Projects – SWDC
Roading – by the numbers!
Roading crews are busy with the summer road resealing programme and other maintenance. Throughout July, August and September 2026, the following work was completed across South Wairarapa:
- 755 metres of edge break repairs
- 11km of shoulder maintenance
- 31km of unsealed roads were graded
- 69km of street sweeping
- 13.74km of unlined surface water channels were cleaned
- 238 sumps were cleaned
- 11 trees were trimmed or removed
- 1 pothole repaired
- 3.51km of road was resealed
Additional works included drainage improvements on Wharekauhau Road, slip clearance on Pahaoa Road, and drainage and scour remediation works on Wharekauhau Road. The 2026/27 resealing programme commenced in September and has already achieved 16.8% of its annual target.
Coming up – EcoReef
EcoReef construction at Turners Bay will begin once all approvals are received along with the widening of a section of Western Lake Road.
Waitī Waters update
Waitī Waters is the council-owned organisation that will take responsibility for the regions drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services from 1 July 2027.
Members were updated about the establishment process of Waitī Waters, outlining progress across governance, finance, staffing, systems and customer planning. Recruitment for senior leadership roles is progressing, while work continues on customer policies, pricing structures, asset transfers and preparing the organisation for day one operations.
Find out more about Waitī Waters here – Home | Waiti Waters
Water services and summer readiness
The committee heard an operational update from Citycare Water, following the transition of the operations for our three waters services (stormwater, drinking water and wastewater) from Wellington Water in July this year. The team noted that services have remained stable, with no significant environmental incidents reported.
With summer approaching, a Water Shortage Risk Advisory Group has been established to monitor conditions and provide advice, should water shortage risks increase. Citycare Water is also working with council officers to improve response times for non-urgent requests and strengthen the resilience of our water infrastructure.
Focus on water races
Consultation continues on the proposed Longwood Water Race Bylaw and plans are underway to update the Water Race Code of Practice.
A separate report outlined work underway to clarify responsibilities for managing the district’s Moroa and Longwood water race networks. Council remains responsible for meeting resource consent requirements and is working with contractors and Greater Wellington Regional Council to confirm responsibilities on the public network, identify gaps and ensure all consent conditions are met.
Greytown water supply remains secure
Councillors received an update regarding the Greytown Memorial Park bore, a key source of the town’s drinking water supply. Recent inspections indicated that the bore remains in a good condition and provides sufficient capacity to meet current demand.
While there is no immediate need for a new production bore, officers recommend ongoing maintenance, testing and planning to ensure the existing network can meet future demand over the coming decade.
Looking after bridges and network resilience
The committee heard an update on the district’s bridge inspection and maintenance programme. South Wairarapa has 141 bridges and box culverts, many of which are ageing and require ongoing maintenance and renewal to remain safe and reliable.
The programme outlines the importance of prioritising investment in structures that support key transport links and alternative routes during emergencies. One example is the Lower Valley Bridge on Kahutara Road, where options ranging from targeted repairs through to full replacement are being investigated.
Where to find more information
Find out what else was discussed.
See the full meeting agenda: Infrastructure Committee – 29 October 2026