The sinkhole has since reappeared twice. Wellington Water crews have patched it with asphalt three times with the latest effort being as recently as this morning.
When Newstalk ZB first made inquiries about it on February 9, Wellington Water said it had received seven reports from the public about the leak.
This included a call from a nearby shopkeeper complaining the condition had worsened and become a public safety concern.
“Following this customer call, Wellington Water investigated the site today and can confirm there is a sinkhole”, a Wellington Water spokesperson said.
The leak was previously classified as not being urgent as information provided to Wellington Water did not show a sinkhole had formed.
“Given the location, and to ensure public safety and to avoid any inconvenience to businesses, this job has now been escalated as a priority,” the spokesperson said.
The sinkholes have opened up amid a looming water shortage in the capital and as 44 per cent of the city’s drinking water is being lost through leaks.
The Wellington metropolitan area has avoided tougher water restrictions for now and remains at Level 2, meaning all residential sprinklers and irrigation are banned.
“We have already started dipping into the storage lakes for the Wellington Metropolitan region and will soon be transitioning over to the lakes as a main source of supply.
“This means that if it’s hot and dry or we don’t get sustained rainfall, and we continue to draw down on the water stored in the lakes, they won’t have a chance to refill.”
Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in politics, local issues, and the Public Service. Ethan is always on the lookout for a story, he can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz or messaged on X (formerly Twitter) @ethanjmanera.