New Zealand's capital Wellington faces a six-month wait before its broken wastewater treatment plant is operational again, with officials confirming that raw and partially screened sewage has been flowing continuously into coastal waters since the Moa Point facility catastrophically failed on 4 February. Mayor Andrew Little announced on Wednesday that repairs costing NZ$53.5m would restore basic treatment by November, with full restoration of the plant — including a fix for the design flaw caused by an air bubble in a pipe that destroyed 80% of equipment — not expected until late 2027. The prolonged crisis has closed beaches, sickened swimmers, threatened a local marine reserve, and put dozens of coastal businesses at risk of collapse, with affected operators estimating combined losses of NZ$3–4m and warning that a council relief fund of NZ$200,000 falls far short of what is needed.