Mayor takes a dip in newly opened south coast beach

Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Wellington mayor Andrew Little has put his money where his mouth is by diving in the sea after Wellington’s southern beaches reopened on Wednesday.

Little, with Wellington Water chief operating officer Charles Barker, marked the three-week anniversary of the Moa Point catastrophe by declaring beaches open – albeit at people’s own risk.

Tarakena Bay remains closed due to its proximity to the short outfall sewage pipe.

It will mean people, after checking Lawa.org.nz can swim, walk dogs, and go to the beach. The state of collecting kaimoana was not immediately clear with official advice to check with the Ministry for Primary Industries.

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At Queens Dr Dairy, where trade dropped by 60% after the start of the spill, Gita Parbhu, said the news of the opening was “great to hear”. Nearby at Seaview Takeaways, Vicky Shen was “very happy”.

From midday Lawa.co.nz will give people clear information of where it is safe to swim.

“I do want to be clear: a risk remains, but monitoring results so far show that it is low and it is now up to people to decide how they respond to the current information,” Little said on Wednesday.

“Residents and businesses around the south coast have endured significant disruption and disconnection from the coast. It’s great to now be in the position to give clarity.”

Water testing across 23 sites over the past three weeks had built up a picture of the risks associated with being on the beach and entering the water. That testing included different weather conditions and sea conditions, tides and the variables that helped establish a picture of a level of risk.

“What this means is people can make their own informed decisions about returning to the beaches,” Little said.

“We have to be realistic and practical about what we’re asking people to do. Conditions can change rapidly. There are areas where the risk remains higher, such as near the short outfall pipe at Tarakena Bay.”

Tarakena Bay remains a no-go area due to its proximity to the short outfall pipe.

If the short outfall is used, Wellington Water will alert Lawa (Land Air Water Aotearoa). Its standard advice not to enter the water during rainfall, or after rain for 48 hours remains.

Millions of litres of raw sewage has been dumped daily near the mouth of Lyall Bay since a catastrophic failure at the Moa Point sewage treatment plant on February 4. South coast beaches have been closed since.