New boss for Wellington Water

Friday, 6 September 2024

Wellington Water has a new boss with the appointment of Pat Dougherty as chief executive.

He replaces Tonia Haskell who resigned last month, following a scathing independent report in to a $51 million budgeting blunder.

A water engineer by profession, Dougherty has served on the Wellington Water board. He has extensive people leadership, local government, and infrastructure and asset management experience.

He was formerly chief executive of the Nelson City Council and the Kāpiti Coast District Council for a decade.

Appointed as a director to the Wellington Water Board in 2023, he often supported board chair Nick Leggett at meetings addressing some of the controversies Wellington Water faced over the past 12 months.

He stepped down from his role as a director to take on the role of chief executive.

Leggett noted that appointing a director to step in as chief executive, while not unheard of, was unusual.

Wellington Water is facing a unique set of challenges and has to rebuild trust with its council shareholders, their communities, and mana whenua after recent controversies.

“We need someone who can improve the company’s performance in short order and give confidence to the committed and skilled people who work in the organisation.

He has a wealth of knowledge about the Wellington region and local government, particularly the challenges facing water assets, Leggett said.

“With an ageing water network, increasing requirements for investment, the financial constraints of councils and water reform looming, there are significant challenges for Wellington Water. Pat has the skills and expertise to lead the organisation to meet those challenges.”

Dougherty said the water loss from ageing pipes and an increasing backlog of pipe renewal work needed across the network was a significant risk to ongoing supply, particularly as it could limit the region’s population growth in time.

Wellington Water has said the region needs to invest $30 billion into Three Waters over the next 30 years. Despite the challenge, he is looking forward to taking on the role.

“I’m excited to take on the role as Chief Executive at such a pivotal time for our organisation … The work we do at Wellington Water is essential to the region, our councils, and our communities.”

His role would involve transitioning Wellington Water into the new entity which will replace it.