Entered by Hastings District Council

Waiaroha – Heretaunga Water Discovery Centre is a bold placemaking initiative that has put essential infrastructure in the middle of the city. As well as the primary water treatment plant, Waiaroha is a green public oasis, cultural narrative, and hands-on classroom in the heart of Hastings, New Zealand.

The need for state-of-the-art treatment and storage was driven by a drinking water contamination crisis in the Hastings suburb of Havelock North in 2016, which caused thousands to become ill, was implicated in four deaths, and created serious public distrust. The need to upgrade drinking water infrastructure and rebuild confidence in the water system was clear, but there was also a broader opportunity: to elevate water from invisible utility to visible taonga (treasure).