Three water historic investment levels
Max Shierlaw made this Official Information request to Hutt City Council
The request was successful.
From: Max Shierlaw
Dear Hutt City Council,
Could you please advise and/or provide information on the following:
1. Prior to 2020 did Wellington Water (WWL) periodically produce asset management plans (AMPs) which contained projects (capital) and programmes (operating) designed to maintain and improve the three waters networks over time, and were those plans reviewed and approved by independent experts, and audited by the Office of the Auditor General?
2. Prior to 2020 did WWL ever express any concern to Council, that the AMPs which they produced did not represent good asset management practice. If so, please provide details of any such advice given to Council.
3. Can the Council confirm that the budget guidelines given to WWL prior to 2020 as part of the annual planning round were indeed just guidelines, and where WWL expressed any concern about the level of funding of any particular capital project or operating programme, please provide details of the concerns expressed by WWL.
4. Prior to 2020 did WWL ever convey to HCC any specific instances where HCC budget restraint meant that WWL were unable to deliver the projects or programmes in the AMPs? If so, please provide details of those projects/programmes, and of any advice given to Council on these issues, and details of any discussion or agreement, or lack of agreement.
5. In the cases of the trunk wastewater main down Randwick Road and the stormwater main under the lower part of Dowse Drive, did WWL express any concern about the risk analysis associated with delaying those projects? If so, please provide the concerns expressed by WWL.
6. Can the Council confirm that the below accurately summarises the annual budget process pertaining the three waters and, if not, in what way is it not accurate?
a) WWL periodically (every 3 years?) produced AMPs for each of the three waters
b) Each year, Council would give all departments, including WWL, budget guidelines within which they were asked to live.
c) In WWLs case, they were therefore asked to deliver the capital projects and operating programmes in the AMPs, within those guidelines, if possible.
d) Where WWL considered that was not possible, then WWL would notify HCC that they needed extra funding in that particular area. HCC would discuss the matter and bring it to a resolution. Once agreed, HCC would either find extra funding within the infrastructure group budget, or at a higher level by way of discussion at a senior level. There were times when HCC pushed back on some of WWL’s requests and WWL would then review and/or reconsider, but the final outcome was always by agreement, never by way of any flat directive from HCC.
e) While it could be said that up to 2019 WWL were operating under a financial strategy which looked to impose limits on spend, both HCC and WWL were under no illusion that good asset management practice came first, and the budget guidelines were simply guidelines, designed to impose financial prudence on the relationship, in other words - simply sensible annual planning.
Yours faithfully,
Max Shierlaw
From: Max Shierlaw
Dear Hutt City Council,
Please acknowledge receipt of my request,
Yours faithfully,
Max Shierlaw
From: Susan Sales
Hutt City Council
Tēnā koe Max
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL INFORMATION AND MEETINGS ACT 1987: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF REQUEST
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 15 December 2021 for information regarding Wellington Water Limited.
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 20 working days after the day your request was received, this being 4 February (please recognise that the period between 20 December and 10 January are not counted as working days in the Act). If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.
If any additional factors come to light which are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us so that these can be taken into account.
Nāku noa, nā
Susan Sales
Senior Advisor, Official Information
Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Private Bag 31912, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand
www.huttcity.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: Max Shierlaw <[FOI #17963 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 15 December 2021 3:22 pm
To: Information Management Team <[Hutt City Council request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Three water historic investment levels
Dear Hutt City Council,
Could you please advise and/or provide information on the following:
1. Prior to 2020 did Wellington Water (WWL) periodically produce asset management plans (AMPs) which contained projects (capital) and programmes (operating) designed to maintain and improve the three waters networks over time, and were those plans reviewed and approved by independent experts, and audited by the Office of the Auditor General?
2. Prior to 2020 did WWL ever express any concern to Council, that the AMPs which they produced did not represent good asset management practice. If so, please provide details of any such advice given to Council.
3. Can the Council confirm that the budget guidelines given to WWL prior to 2020 as part of the annual planning round were indeed just guidelines, and where WWL expressed any concern about the level of funding of any particular capital project or operating programme, please provide details of the concerns expressed by WWL.
4. Prior to 2020 did WWL ever convey to HCC any specific instances where HCC budget restraint meant that WWL were unable to deliver the projects or programmes in the AMPs? If so, please provide details of those projects/programmes, and of any advice given to Council on these issues, and details of any discussion or agreement, or lack of agreement.
5. In the cases of the trunk wastewater main down Randwick Road and the stormwater main under the lower part of Dowse Drive, did WWL express any concern about the risk analysis associated with delaying those projects? If so, please provide the concerns expressed by WWL.
6. Can the Council confirm that the below accurately summarises the annual budget process pertaining the three waters and, if not, in what way is it not accurate?
a) WWL periodically (every 3 years?) produced AMPs for each of the three waters
b) Each year, Council would give all departments, including WWL, budget guidelines within which they were asked to live.
c) In WWLs case, they were therefore asked to deliver the capital projects and operating programmes in the AMPs, within those guidelines, if possible.
d) Where WWL considered that was not possible, then WWL would notify HCC that they needed extra funding in that particular area. HCC would discuss the matter and bring it to a resolution. Once agreed, HCC would either find extra funding within the infrastructure group budget, or at a higher level by way of discussion at a senior level. There were times when HCC pushed back on some of WWL’s requests and WWL would then review and/or reconsider, but the final outcome was always by agreement, never by way of any flat directive from HCC.
e) While it could be said that up to 2019 WWL were operating under a financial strategy which looked to impose limits on spend, both HCC and WWL were under no illusion that good asset management practice came first, and the budget guidelines were simply guidelines, designed to impose financial prudence on the relationship, in other words - simply sensible annual planning.
Yours faithfully,
Max Shierlaw
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #17963 email]
Is [Hutt City Council request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Hutt City Council? If so, please contact us using this form:
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From: Susan Sales
Hutt City Council
Good afternoon Max.
Please find attached our response to your information request of 15 December 2021.
Ngā mihi
Susan Sales
Ringa Āwhina Tāhūhū ki Te Koromatua | Senior Advisor
Te Kaunihera o Te Awa Kairangi | Hutt City Council, 30 Laings Road, Private Bag 31912, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand
Paetukutuku: www.huttcity.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: Max Shierlaw <[FOI #17963 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 15 December 2021 3:22 pm
To: Information Management Team <[Hutt City Council request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Three water historic investment levels
Dear Hutt City Council,
Could you please advise and/or provide information on the following:
1. Prior to 2020 did Wellington Water (WWL) periodically produce asset management plans (AMPs) which contained projects (capital) and programmes (operating) designed to maintain and improve the three waters networks over time, and were those plans reviewed and approved by independent experts, and audited by the Office of the Auditor General?
2. Prior to 2020 did WWL ever express any concern to Council, that the AMPs which they produced did not represent good asset management practice. If so, please provide details of any such advice given to Council.
3. Can the Council confirm that the budget guidelines given to WWL prior to 2020 as part of the annual planning round were indeed just guidelines, and where WWL expressed any concern about the level of funding of any particular capital project or operating programme, please provide details of the concerns expressed by WWL.
4. Prior to 2020 did WWL ever convey to HCC any specific instances where HCC budget restraint meant that WWL were unable to deliver the projects or programmes in the AMPs? If so, please provide details of those projects/programmes, and of any advice given to Council on these issues, and details of any discussion or agreement, or lack of agreement.
5. In the cases of the trunk wastewater main down Randwick Road and the stormwater main under the lower part of Dowse Drive, did WWL express any concern about the risk analysis associated with delaying those projects? If so, please provide the concerns expressed by WWL.
6. Can the Council confirm that the below accurately summarises the annual budget process pertaining the three waters and, if not, in what way is it not accurate?
a) WWL periodically (every 3 years?) produced AMPs for each of the three waters
b) Each year, Council would give all departments, including WWL, budget guidelines within which they were asked to live.
c) In WWLs case, they were therefore asked to deliver the capital projects and operating programmes in the AMPs, within those guidelines, if possible.
d) Where WWL considered that was not possible, then WWL would notify HCC that they needed extra funding in that particular area. HCC would discuss the matter and bring it to a resolution. Once agreed, HCC would either find extra funding within the infrastructure group budget, or at a higher level by way of discussion at a senior level. There were times when HCC pushed back on some of WWL’s requests and WWL would then review and/or reconsider, but the final outcome was always by agreement, never by way of any flat directive from HCC.
e) While it could be said that up to 2019 WWL were operating under a financial strategy which looked to impose limits on spend, both HCC and WWL were under no illusion that good asset management practice came first, and the budget guidelines were simply guidelines, designed to impose financial prudence on the relationship, in other words - simply sensible annual planning.
Yours faithfully,
Max Shierlaw
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #17963 email]
Is [Hutt City Council request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Hutt City Council? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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