More untreated sewage has been discharged close to shore from the stricken Moa Point Wastewater Plant on Wellington's south coast following a "rough night" of heavy rain and wind in the capital.
Wellington City Council said the latest discharge occurred as a deep low situated east of the North Island brings heavy rain and severe gales to large parts of the country.
"Unfortunately untreated sewage has been discharged overnight via the short outfall at Moa Point due to the heavy rain – so the advice about staying away from beaches still applies," a spokesperson said.
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Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Wellington Mayor Andrew Little urged people to stay away from affected beaches along the south coast following the fresh discharge.
"It kind of confirms the need just to stay away from the beaches for now. That still remains an area of caution."
The renewed discharge came as Wellington Water faced growing scrutiny.
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little says the capital has been “hit pretty hard” overnight, with big swells, heavy winds and trees down across multiple suburbs. (Source: Breakfast)
Wellington Water's board chair Nick Leggett resigned on Sunday, saying leaders must accept responsibility "in actions as well as words".
The Moa Point wastewater plant's lower floors were completely flooded earlier this month when sewage backed up in a 1.8km outfall pipe, sending raw sewage spilling out from a five-metre pipe directly into Wellington's southern coastline.
The flooding caused beach closures off the capital's south coast, with officials saying repairs could take months.
A public meeting on the Moa Point failure had been moved from a bar in Lyall Bay to a larger venue due to "high levels of public interest".
Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter said the meeting, scheduled for 7pm on Monday, will now be held at the Performing Arts Centre at St Patrick’s College.
"It’ll be a great opportunity to get a better understanding of what’s happening and to let local leaders know just how you feel about this crisis."
Speakers at the meeting would include the mayor, the head of the local business association, and experts in marine biology and wastewater. Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul would also attend.
Wellington Water initially indicated it would not attend due to the political nature of the event, saying it would be more appropriate for the council to attend, but Mayor Andrew Little requested chief executive Pat Dougherty be present.
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