Over 9,000 residents of Karori in Wellington rely on two reservoirs buried on the hill at Messines Road for their water supply. The reservoirs were built in 1925 and 1935 and have reached the end of their economic lives: they pose an earthquake risk, and their total capacity of 3.5 million litres doesn’t meet current requirements.

Wellington City Council is spending $6 million to upgrade these two reservoirs to a combined capacity of 6 million litres, providing enough water for population growth over the next 75 years.

The reservoirs will be demolished and then re-built (at a larger size) one at a time. The reservoirs will be constructed of reinforced concrete and will again be situated entirely underground. Brian Perry Civil will also be responsible for installation of new pumps and associated pipework, and also commissioning of the new reservoirs.

One of the key project challenges is that the site is on top of a steep hill in a very exposed part of the city, and access is only available from one frontage.

Work Complete February 2013

•  At the end of November 2011, the first tank was successfully commissioned. (Separable Portion 1)
• The second tank was demolished, re-constructed and commissioned in May 2012. (Separable Portion 2)
• Landscaping and ancillary works was completed on 5 February 2013. (Separable Portion 3)