Pump station upgrades

Some of our pump stations are reaching the end of their useful life. Damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle, they no longer meet the level of service needed to cope with today’s conditions. 

This upgrade programme will improve capacity, reliability, and long-term resilience. The new stations will also have better telemetry systems, making it easier to monitor and manage performance remotely, and reduce fish mortality by improving how water is returned to the river.

Once complete, these upgrades will deliver:   

• More reliable and efficient pump station performance 
• Backup power and seismic strengthening 
• Better telemetry for remote monitoring and control 
• Greater resilience in the face of severe weather 
• Lower fish mortality rates 
• Stronger flood protection. 

 The pump stations we’re upgrading were built in the 1950s – solid, functional infrastructure that has served the region well. They’ve had work done since – tweaks in the 1970s, improvements in the 1980s – but they’re no longer keeping pace with what’s needed. 

Their monitoring systems are limited. Their performance under pressure can be patchy. And as weather becomes more intense, more often – a future brought into sharper focus by Cyclone Gabrielle – the systems we rely on need to be smarter, stronger and more resilient.