Sustainability

Sustainability lies at the heart of all we do.

Our duty is to:

• treat and supply the water that nature provides, and

• treat wastewater to a high standard to protect Auckland’s environment.

We need to keep our harbours, estuaries and freshwater ecosystems healthy so Aucklanders can continue to enjoy a safe, clean environment.

Protecting the environment

We aim to minimise the impact of our activities and contribute to the restoration of Auckland’s environment. From recycling and composting our office waste, to reusing biosolids, to restoring habitats, we work hard to enhance nature and protect biodiversity.

Environment and community 

Treating biosolids.

Reducing our footprint

Managing energy is one of our strategic initiatives. We have ambitious targets to reduce our footprint.

• Biogas produced at the Mangere and Rosedale wastewater treatment plants generates around 30 per cent of our energy needs. This also reduces costs and improves our resilience.
• ​Turbines at the four Hunua dams generate hydroelectric power.
• We aim to make the Mangere and Rosedale wastewater treatment plants energy neutral by 2025, which would be a world first for a plant the size of Mangere.

Managing water demand

We want to ease demand on freshwater resources by helping everyone in the region to reduce water wastage. This helps us defer the need to build new water infrastructure, which in turn keeps our costs down.

• We are on track to reach our target to reduce water use by 15 per cent by 2025. Auckland already outperforms other New Zealand cities in conserving water.
• ​We are working with households and businesses to manage water, and we offer free water audit and efficiency programmes. For more information call us on (09) 442 2222, press 3, or email info@water.co.nz 
• We offer practical tips and advice for using water wisely. 
• Our Be Waterwise programme encourages households and businesses to save water and help the environment.

Supporting communities

We partner with local organisations to:

• promote awareness about water and wastewater
• plant trees and clean up beaches
• help customers who are struggling to manage their water costs, through the Watercare Utility Consumer Assistance Trust. 

We offer free, hands-on lessons to teach children about water and their local environment with the Watercare education programme

Read about our community initiatives

Consulting with stakeholders

Two advisory groups help us to consider external viewpoints on the environmental effects of our activities:

Environmental Advisory Group: This is an independent group we have brought together to advise, support and challenge our approach to sustainability generally and environmental matters in particular. The EAG helps us to anticipate emerging issues, expresses community concerns and informs our strategy development.

Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum: We meet quarterly with this forum in order to:

• ensure difficult issues are canvassed openly
• consult on projects that may affect the interests of mana whenua
• develop a view on future freshwater management.

Documents

Energy policy PDF (400 kB)
Energy and greenhouse gas emissions supplement 2015 PDF (1.92 MB)
Biodiversity supplement 2015 PDF (1.91 MB)