

The single best thing that people can do to help Wellington survive and thrive after a major earthquake is be prepared.

In conjunction with our Councils, we're working to make our infrastructure stronger every day. A number of initiatives are underway, including looking for temporary emergency water sources in Wellington and Porirua, testing water bladders to see if they can be used to distribute water to communities after an earthquake, and looking for drinking water under the Wellington Harbour.

Drinking water

Our water supply network crosses fault lines in multiple places. We expect it to take up to 100 days to restore services in some suburbs in the Wellington region.

Following a major earthquake, the first thing people rely on is themselves and their families - so storing water is a must for every household.

You need to have to stored water for you and your family for at least seven days. We recommend that you store 20 litres per person per day - if you have a family of four, that's 560 litres. You may need to store more if you have unwell people or small children in your family.

Use our tool to learn how to get sorted!



Have you got a plan for what to do with your ones and twos?

Wastewater isn't just about toilets - you'll also need to think about how you would dispose of water used for cooking and hygiene. Water from cooking can be tipped into gardens, but keep water used in washing clothes or yourself away from food producing gardens.