Woodville: Dead possum in drinking water wasn’t disclosed, Tararua council employee gets written warning

Council must issue a boil water advisory each time an animal posing a risk to human health is identified in the Woodville drinking water reservoirs.

A Tararua District Council employee was issued a written warning after failing to escalate a report of a dead possum in a Woodville treated drinking water reservoir.

Instead, the national Water Services Authority, Taumata Arowai, was informed by a member of the public who reported the incident about 11 days later.

The 2024 Drinking Water Regulation Report, conducted by the Water Services Authority and released in June 2025, revealed the incident, noting it was the first time the authority had issued a written warning.

Taumata Arowai head of operations Steve Taylor said on April 15, 2024, it was notified a possum had been found and removed from the Woodville West treated drinking water reservoir on or around April 4.

“It was reported that the possum had been found by a contractor onsite, who then notified a Tararua District Council staff member."

But a boil water advisory was not issued to the public in April 2024, and the authority wasn’t notified by the council that the drinking water may have been unsafe.

Taylor said during a follow-up on April 17, the council confirmed a possum had been trapped within the reservoir earlier that month.

An investigation found that a council staff member failed to follow the escalation process in the council’s Drinking Water Safety Plan.

He said the Authority formed the view that the individual’s actions may have been a breach of the Water Services Act 2021.

A direction was given to the council in May 2024 that a boil water advisory must be issued each time an animal that poses a public health risk is identified in the Woodville treated drinking water reservoirs.

Earlier in 2024, on February 15, a dead possum was discovered in the water supply, which was reported, and a boil water notice was issued on the same day and lifted five days later.

On March 25, 2025, possum faeces were found on the rafters of the Woodville Water East Treated Reservoir, and a boil water notice remained in place until April 1, 2025.

The council spokesperson said water safety was taken seriously and a robust monitoring plan was in place with daily inspections, traps and CCTV cameras in place.

Additional testing of the Woodville water supply, over and above what is required, was introduced.

“This is how we were able to identify the droppings and locate the possum in the rafters so promptly.”

The council spokesperson said designs were progressing to address these issues, with plans to replace the existing rectangular reservoirs, which are over a century old, earthquake-prone, and classified as confined spaces, with two 1100m³ circular tanks.

“This is rates-funded as there is no government funding or support for these upgrades.”

The council has allocated $3.46m in the Long Term Plan for the next four years to upgrade the Woodville reservoirs.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.