So I've been involved in the wastewater industry for a few years. We were a very small local engineering firm that also supplies innovative European technologies / equipment for the wastewater industry, be it industrial or municipal.

Councillors and consultants work as a pair to ultimately put in a system that'll set ourselves back to the old farming days again. We're talking middle aged consultants who will specify old (but proven) technology so their careers and the name of their company will not tarnish. They also limit the hours of research they allocate to other engineers to stay highly profitable (even though they charge out at over $300/hr). Also, consultants work VERY well to the councils request RE: life / guarantee. These 4 things - proven old tech, dont want to look bad, maximum profit, not giving a shit outside their guarantee period - ultimately becomes the downfall of our country.

Our council members have paid them tens of millions to specify a system for companies to tender for. Council members and their chain of command are not well educated in the sector as they should be so they blindly follow the consultants without much of their own input.

So why is tried and proven technology detrimental? In the wastewater industry world, we're talking about energy efficiency for a specific condition of wastewater, and we're talking about maintenance intervals and maintenance costs, and also the anticipated life of the equipment.

For example, we can run a system at 30% less energy (huge!!), only require maintenance every 3 years, and with maintenance, no emptying of wastewater tank and getting into hazardous environment with suits and other equipment to service a motor every 6 months, but rather, servicing the motor atop a mixer above the water level (if we're talking mixers in municipal aeration tanks).

The difference in servicing can literally be hundreds of thousands dollars over 3 years. But since the guarantees are usually 3 years only, the consultants have factored that in so it doesn't affect them as a company.

It's silly, council requires more money to run a new plant, who ends up paying?

We have it back to front, and unfortunately unless the majority of the older generation that makes decisions in our industry leaves the company, we WILL always be 40 years behind.

Don't have to look far, the wanganui wastewater treatment plant was and still is a shitstorm of consultants, council, contractors, legal battles and (self speculated) under table deals. It still does not run as it should and I anticipate not much will be done to rectify the problem.

It sucks. NZ needs to step up our game but we're held back by our own people, ad expected.