Wellington runs out of water tanks days after warning

Tuesday, 26 December 2023

Wellington councils have run out of water tanks just days after residents were warned to save water due to the of risk of “serious” summer shortages.

The Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (Wremo) regional manager Jeremy Holmes on Wednesday warned of tight summer water restrictions and possible disruption to supply.

“We encourage everyone to take the risk of a water shortage seriously and take time over the holiday break to store or replenish their emergency water supplies,“ Holmes said. He pointed people to a deal for water tanks from local councils.

But there is a problem. At Wellington’s Tip Shop, where people can buy water tanks, there was a sign at the entrance on Saturday: “Water tanks sold out”. Hutt City and Upper Hutt City on Friday confirmed they had sold out of tanks.

Wellington City Council spokesperson Richard MacLean confirmed that its stock of 90 tanks sold out in about three hours on Friday and, with the manufacturer taking a break, a new shipment was not due until January 8. Some hardware stores may have stock, he said.

The looming water issues, widely attributed to decades of under investment in pipes, some more than than 100 years old, mean there are already restrictions on watering gardens and Wellington Water is warning the risk of water shortage this summer “is real”. “Our wai (water) can run dry,” Wellington Water’s website says.

Wellington region councils have a deal with The Tank Guy, meaning a 200 litre $265 tank can be bought for $115.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said she was referring people to The Tank Guy for large tanks. People could also get smaller containers from hardware stores and supermarkets, she said.

“It's fantastic people have got on board with the water storage and are taking it seriously along with hopefully reducing their water consumption.” Porirua still had some tanks on Friday.

Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said the council was still selling tanks on Friday but they were “walking out” with hundreds sold.

South Wairarapa Mayor Martin Connelly did not know if stock levels were low but said he was not aware of shortages. Tanks needed to be bought “before the drought sets in,” he said.

Bunnings in Lyall Bay on Monday had a selection of large “special order” water tanks but seemingly none in stock. It had many smaller water containers listed but, on Christmas morning, just one in stock, which was running low. Special orders usually mean a wait of between seven and 14 days, Bunnings’ website says.

A similar picture played out in the Petone branch, albeit with a few options for smaller water containers. It had numerous larger water tanks available on special order but none in stock.

Mitre 10 had a number of water tanks in store nationwide, which could be delivered in two to four weeks, but seemingly none at Mitre 10 Mega in Petone. The Petone store did have a couple of types of 10 litre camping water carriers available on Monday.

Wremo’s Wednesday warning said storing emergency water over the Christmas and New Year period “should be a priority for residents in the Wellington region” as there was a risk of “serious water shortages” in Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt.

Tighter watering restrictions were expected. People should have 140 litres stored per person in a household, it said.