German specialists to help fix failing sewer pipe due to arrive in New Zealand

Wednesday, 15 April 2020

Wellington Water initially estimated trucks would transport sludge between Moa Point and the Southern Landfill for at least five weeks. It ended up going on for months. (First published in October, 2020)

As Germany repatriates the last of its citizens back home, it has sent five of its own specialists here to help fix the capital's water woes.

Air New Zealand said a charter flight returning from Frankfurt via Vancouver carrying the five engineers, was due to land in Auckland about 8.30pm on Wednesday.

After serving a period of self-isolation in self-contained accommodation, with food and other essential items delivered to them, the specialists are due to help Wellington Water with repair work on the broken wastewater pipe in the Mt Albert sewer tunnel.

Wellington ratepayers have been paying nearly $100,000 a day to ferry wastewater by truck from the city's Moa Point treatment plant to the landfill, after the pipe - which runs between the two - failed in January.

The German Government has been repatriating thousands of Germans in New Zealand, with one of the last flights here carrying on board a team of five German engineers, who will stay and help fix the capital's water woes. Pictured, a Lufthansa flight taking off in Auckland this month.

* Cost blow out means Wellington ratepayers stuck with $16m sewer bill

Wellington ratepayers have been forking out nearly $100,000 a day to ferry the wastewater by truck from the city's Moa Point treatment plant to the landfill after the Mt Albert sewer tunnel pipe broke.

* Wellington Water poll on dumping city's sewer in Cook Strait**

Air New Zealand said in a statement that Wellington Water approached it to support transporting the essential personnel to New Zealand.

Lufthansa airline workers are volunteering on 'emotional' repatriation flights for very personal reasons.

Wellington Water was contributing to the cost of the flights, a spokeswoman for the airline confirmed, however it was unclear how much.

A Wellington Water spokesman was unable to provide funding details, saying instead it would respond on Thursday.

Wednesday's Air New Zealand flight NZ6011is the return leg of one of a series of flights chartered by the German government to repatriate German citizens from New Zealand amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Air New Zealand spokesman captain David Morgan said the airline was pleased to be able to get the experts to New Zealand under the extraordinary circumstances presented by the pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Sky Tower was lit up in the colours of the German flag.

'The timing has been managed to work in with our last repatriation flight to Germany, which meant we were able to collect the team in Frankfurt for the return flight to Auckland.'

Wellington Water major projects manager Stephen Wright said it was happy to have the engineers on their way.

'Bringing in experienced international expertise for this operation was a key component of our arrangements with the manufacturer. Air New Zealand has been hugely helpful in enabling us to bring this team of specialists over from Germany.'

A full isolation programme had been prepared to ensure the technicians presented a low risk to New Zealanders, and themselves remain safe from the virus.

That included pre-flight screening, in-flight and transit physical distancing, self-contained transport and accommodation. After a 14-day quarantine in Auckland they would be relocated to Wellington to begin work.

Previously the German Embassy in Wellington put out an urgent call to those wanting to be repatriated, saying there were more than 200 spare seats on one of the last flights back to Germany.