Our Community, Our Wai

The whole team at Veolia was fantastic. They all communicated clearly and they kept us informed and up-to-date on what was happening.”I got a knock on my door and the metre reader was standing there. He said he noticed that I was using a lot of water and asked if I had the water running. I didn’t, so he took a look around the property to see if there was a leak somewhere.It turns out that the leak was actually on a property that is on the other side of a six-foot fence – so I would have never spotted the leak myself. The pipe runs through my property, but with my age and health, and my walking frame, I Would have never noticed it.I was getting nervous because my water bill started to increase. I was afraid to use the water as that was only going to make my water bills even higher.

Stephanie at Veolia was absolutely great. She communicated very clearly with us right from the start. She let us know that it might take some time, but they would get to it. She listened to us, accepted all the evidence showing we tried to do the right thing, and was very clear in explaining the process of what would happen. When I found out that Veolia was going to wipe the bill and just charge me my normal monthly amount, I burst into tears. I was so worried I’d have to come up with money that I didn’t have to cover the cost of a leak. It was really stressful for me as an older person, and I’m sure it would be for anyone. When it was finished, they wrote us a letter explaining everything and apologising. And then Stephanie phoned my daughter [Ngaire] to let us know that it had all been fixed. My bills have gone back to normal, so I’m not stressed anymore.
 

Because of the wonderful experience I received with Deborah Rea of Veolia, I now know who to contact when there are water issues in our area.”The Ōpaheke Residents Group is a place for local residents to share concerns, ask for help, and seek redress for any issues so we can advocate on their behalf. As the coordinator, I see my role as being an advocate for this community, to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. We seek resolution from those agencies, government departments, or others who can make a difference for this community. I had a neighbor reach out to me through the Residents Group because she thought that her appliances were being damaged due to water issues. Trying to resolve the issue herself only caused confusion and distress. She was informed that she needed to get an analysis report, but didn't understand what that involved. 

With her and her husband’s consent, I got in touch with Veolia, and a customer service representative there, Deborah Rea, explained the report to me. Deborah explained how our water is tested for levels of magnesium and calcium and that the report revealed that the quality of our water is within the accepted parameters for water quality. She also explained the treatment process that water goes through. "Treated" water comes from a reservoir or dam and not from a sewage treatment plant. It might sound obvious to people who work in the water sector, but it isn't to the rest of us. The terminology can be confusing. Deborah was patient, compassionate, very knowledgeable, and clear in explaining everything to me. As a “shop window” for Veolia, i.e. the first contact we had with the company, Deborah was exceptional. Because of this wonderful experience with Deborah at Veolia, I now know who to contact when there are water issues in your area.

Over the coming years, if Veolia has a better presence in the community, we can help bridge that gap between the public and Veolia.”Kootuitui can help bridge the gap between Veolia and the community of Papakura. Even though Veolia is local here, there are still many people who don't know who they are and what they do. 

There is also a lot of education that can be done. Most people can’t read their water bill, this is even more confusing for families who rent. A notice will go to the homeowner letting them know that their water charges might change. But That isn’t always communicated back to the renters. So if the water bill should be going down, the renters won’t know and they won’t know to query their bill. We have programs for our community members where they can learn about finances and even specific things like how to read their bills. This helps them understand what they’re paying for and how they might be able to reduce the amount of those bills. One of the most frequent questions I get is why people need to pay so much for wastewater. Education around this is so important so people know what they're paying for and what they can do about it. We have processes in place that can be used to identify families who may need assistance, and we can recommend hardship funding to people who may need it. It’s good for the community to see companies like Veoia as approachable, and not as a big scary giant. Often people in the community don’t relate to corporations and they don’t see them as people they can talk to. Over the coming years, if Veolia has a better presence in the community, we can help bridge that gap between the public and Veolia.

“It’s a hand-up, not a hand-out.” There are so many opportunities with the relationship between Kootuitui and Veolia. It’s a question of figuring out which challenge we work on first so that together we can help our community and our whānau. Veolia is looking to build a stronger relationship with the community, so Kotuitui can help with that. Kotuitui has been working on the “Home Sweet Homes” project with Mercury Energy and Foodstuffs. The project aims to provide food, heat, water and shelter to members of the community who need a hand-up (not a hand-out).

 It’s been a dream for a while for Kootuitui to provide a wrap-around service. Water is a need for our whānau, so working with Veolia helps complete this. The relationship between Kootuitui and Veolia is strategic. It enables us to provide more services for our whānau and it enables Veolia to become a better-known part of the community. Partnering means we can help families find sustainable solutions to what they need help with. It’s a hand-up, not a hand-out. Families haven’t been able to meet their debts. They don’t know what funding is available and they don’t know how to navigate the process. So with Veolia, that's one area we can support. Veolia has a hardship fund that may be a tricky process for some people to work through, so we can help them navigate it. We can make it more accessible to families in need. Veolia can benefit from our knowledge of the community and our connection to families here, as we can help them with the process of determining how to distribute the funds. Together we can make the process easier for everyone involved.

“There is a lot that ordinary people can do to look after our water and our waterways.”Papakura has seen a lot of growth since the last census. There are many green field developments in the south of Papakura around Drury. This means that there will be huge demands on water and wastewater. Water is the essence of life, and it’s something we all share. The board here has a strong environmental profile, particularly through the connection of mana whenua. We have the Pahurehure Inlet, Manukau Harbour, And Papakura Stream. The quality of water out is as important to us as the water coming into households. The new Papakura Water Treatment plant supplies 12 million litres of water a day. There is a lot that ordinary people can do to look after our water and our waterways. We all need to be reminded of what we should not be putting down our pipes and toilets. 

There are ways we can save water – which is good for the overall system and the environment, and it’s also good for the person paying the water bill. The best way to educate and get clearer messaging out is by communicating with people using both social media and letterbox mail. If they’re already being sent a bill in the mail, then it’s easy enough to also include an informational leaflet. Because there is no local media in Papakura (the Papakura Courier no longer gets printed), we need to use other channels that people of all ages will read.If there’s anything we can do to help people understand what they’re paying for when they pay for water, and help them sensibly reduce their water bills, that would be great. It would also be helpful to reinforce the message that Veolia is local, not a faceless corporate. Veolia staff live and work in Papakura – this is their home too.
 

Our work is whānau to whānau. We’re all proud of where we’re from and where we live. My wife and I have lived in South Auckland for over 45 years, including 27 years in Papakura. This is our community. Community is about giving people the right to have a sustainable and reasonable standard of living. This is why I’m involved with Kootuitui and other organisations throughout South Auckland. The value that Kootuitui adds to the relationship with Veolia is that we’re local. We deal with the community and we can bridge the gap. We can better serve the community with a broader range of services when we partner with organisations like Veolia. We’re a nimble organisation. We look for opportunities and we’re constantly exploring what other relationships we can have to provide support. We’re always looking at what else we can do and what other support we can provide, which is our whakapapa. 

It’s about providing support to whānau to live in some degree of social and economic security in our community. Kotuitui can help with the processes involved in providing financial support to the community that Veolia may have to offer. We know how to manage the processes around how to decide who receives financial assistance. There is some element of reputational risk involved, and we have a thorough process in place. We use our links in the community and it’s a two-way relationship. It’s a hand-up, not a hand-out. Big companies need faces in the community and need to have face-to-face relationships. Kootuitui helps provide that. Our work is whānau to whānau. We’re all proud of where we’re from and where we live.