Published 6/09/2024
Wellington Water Board appoints new Chief Executive
Wellington Water’s Board has today announced the appointment of Pat Dougherty as Wellington Water’s new Chief Executive.
A water engineer by profession, Pat has extensive people leadership, local government, and infrastructure and asset management experience.
Pat was the Chief Executive of the Nelson City Council for five years and the Kāpiti Coast District Council for ten years.
In 2023, Pat was appointed as a Director to the Wellington Water Board. An appointment he has served for the past 12 months. Pat has stepped down from his role as a Director to take on the role as Chief Executive.
Board Chair Nick Leggett noted that appointing a Director to step in as Chief Executive, while not unheard of, was unusual.
“Wellington Water faces a unique set of challenges. We are rebuilding trust with our council shareholders, their communities, and our iwi mana whenua partners off the back of recent events. We need someone who can improve the company’s performance in short order and give confidence to the committed and skilled people who work in the organisation. Pat is the right person for the job,” says Board Chair Nick Leggett.
“Pat brings with him a wealth of knowledge about the Wellington region and Local Government, particularly the challenges we face with our water assets.”
“With an aging water network, increasing requirements for investment, the financial constraints of councils and water reform looming, there are significant challenges for Wellington Water. Pat has the skills and expertise to lead the organisation to meet those challenges.”
Pat Dougherty said increasing water loss from aging pipes and an increasing backlog of renewal work needed across the network was a significant risk to ongoing supply, particularly as it could limit the region’s population growth in time.
“I’m excited to take on the role as Chief Executive at such a pivotal time for our organisation, says Pat. “The work we do at Wellington Water is essential to the region, our councils, and our communities. Our responsibility is to continue to deliver safe and compliant water services and ensure our organisation, and our people, are as well set up as possible to transition to a new asset owning water entity.”
During his time at the Kāpiti Coast District Council, Pat was also Chair of the Wellington Region Civil Defence Emergency Management Executive Group and served on the Board of the McKays to Pekapeka Expressway Alliance.
More recently, Pat was appointed to the Board of the New Zealand Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi.
He is a Member of the Institute of Directors and a Chartered Member of Engineering NZ.
Editor notes
Wellington Water is owned and fully funded by Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Porirua City Council, and Upper Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and South Wairarapa District Council. All six councils are equal shareholders.
Our councils own the water infrastructure in the region, and they task us to manage the infrastructure and deliver water services to our communities.
Wellington Water is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board and our organisation receive overall leadership and direction from the Wellington Water Committee, which are also responsible for appointing members to the Board.
The Wellington Water Committee is made up of representatives from our council owners and mana whenua.