It is not overly-speculative to say that Whanganui District Council received a sum in the vicinity of $8 million from MWH, the designers of the failed wastewater treatment plant.
That payment settled the council's lawsuit against MWH for what it said was the faulty design of the plant which was commissioned in 2007 and ran into problems almost immediately. MWH has denied such claims and has admitted no liability. The plant has now been replaced at a cost to ratepayers of around $39 million.
Read more: Whanganui District Council gets tick from auditors on wastewater plant
The payment — made in March 2016 — was subject to a confidentiality clause between council and MWH, but the Chronicle has campaigned to have the sum revealed on the basis that it was public money and the wastewater plant issue was such a hot topic with the people of Whanganui.
The Chronicle took its case to the Ombudsman and we now, too, have settlement — a compromise where the sum remains confidential but certain details are disclosed.