The first official water-quality test results following the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant breakdown show that parts of Wellington’s south coast remain unsafe for swimming due to high bacteria levels.
According to a report by Laura Frykberg of Stuff, Wellington Water tested pollution levels at 18 sites after the plant malfunctioned on Wednesday morning, which resulted in millions of litres of untreated sewage being discharged into the ocean. The latest results indicate that Mahanga Bay, Hue Te Taka Peninsula, and Owhiro Bay continue to pose health risks for the public.
Hue Te Taka Peninsula, located near the short outfall pipe where untreated wastewater was released, recorded particularly high contamination levels, with bacteria measured “many times over the safe limit,” Laura Frykberg of Stuff has reported.
Although testing confirmed that 15 other monitored locations were safe for swimming, authorities have urged the public to stay away from the south coast while further assessments are carried out.
“This does not mean it is safe to swim and formal public health advice remains to keep out of the water, avoid the beach and do not collect kaimoana [seafood]. Moa Point is continuing to discharge untreated wastewater,” Wellington Water said in a statement, as quoted by Stuff.
Additional samples collected on Thursday are still being analysed, with officials noting that laboratory testing takes time because bacteria must be allowed to grow before accurate readings can be confirmed.
Wellington Water said partial repairs have been completed on the long outfall pipe that failed during the incident. The system is now able to pump “900 litres per second” of wastewater through the pipe. While this handles most daily wastewater flow, untreated sewage may still be discharged during peak periods using the short outfall pipe.
“The team are working carefully throughout the weekend to increase the volume of flow through the long outfall pipe as much as possible, to reduce the use of the short outfall pipe,” Wellington Water said. “However, the situation remains complex and at this stage we are unable to provide a timeframe of when this may be,” Laura Frykberg of Stuff has reported.
Raw sewage remained visible along the coastline on Thursday, drawing strong reactions from members of the local community. Surfers and swimmers described the situation as deeply distressing.
“This is just devastating, this is our community, this is our mental health strategy. It is outrageous, how, in 2026, is there no technology to prevent this happening?” surfer Jana Barrett said, Stuff has quoted.
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little confirmed that an inquiry would be conducted into Wellington Water’s handling of the incident.
“How the matter was alerted to Wellington Water… What they knew, what they did, when they notified others, when information went out, when the public was notified, all of those issues need to be the subject of the investigation,” he said, as quoted by Stuff.
The wastewater treatment plant malfunctioned around 1 am on Wednesday, but the public was not informed about the seriousness of the situation until several hours later. A rāhui has since been placed along the southern coastline, restricting public activity in and around affected beaches and coastal waters, as reported by Stuff.