Y2K: Public must be told of standbys says council

By Mathew Dearnaley

Auckland civic leaders will press other local bodies at a closed conference on the millennium computer bug today to open their books to the public.

They will promote a public forum they are holding in May on the problem as a model for those less inclined to put their citizens in the picture.

The forum organiser, deputy mayor Bruce Hucker, will accompany mayor Christine Fletcher and senior city council staff when 86 territorial local authorities meet in Wellington today to discuss contingency planning.

Civil Defence will maintain full staffing in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch on New Year's Eve in case of serious power or water failures and Waitakere mayor Bob Harvey wants the Army put on standby.

A British taskforce has told every household in that country, where winter will compound disruption from such failures, to stockpile two weeks of food.

Mrs Fletcher said Auckland City staff had worked for two years to make their computer systems Year 2000-compliant and believed they would have enough measures in place to ensure public safety.

"But we are open to all ideas," she said of Mr Harvey's suggestion.

The council's risk consultant, Paul Wilton, said the priority was safeguarding water supplies and sewage disposal.

Although most water supplies were gravity-fed, the council and its Metrowater subsidiary expected to finish replacing more than 100 remote-control components next month.

But services needed electricity, and although the supply companies were reasonably confident their computerised equipment would not malfunction, the council was ordering backup generators for its pumping stations.

Dr Hucker said last year's power crisis had left Auckland sensitive to the need for contingency planning. Publicity was vital to ensure that families could cope in the event of disrupted services.

Owen Cook, a spokesman for the regional Watercare Services, said it already had backup generators for key sewage-pumping stations but was considering ordering more for the few water supply areas not gravity-fed.

Auckland's dozen or so reservoirs would be filled to the brim by December 31 to give the region a few days' water supply.

Replacing non-compliant Metrowater components is expected to cost about $10,000 but a mayoral briefing paper says safeguarding council buildings will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This includes beefing up security at the Auckland Art Gallery, which would have been needed anyway, and generators to protect rare books and film collections at the central library.

The council has also contacted hazardous substance licence-holders to lessen environmental risks from computer failures.