2010 ANNUAL REPORT - Watercare

WATERCARE SERVICES LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT 2010Performance MeasurementWatercare measures its performance against19 objectives covering six key policy areas:POLICY1POLICY2POLICY3POLICY4POLICY5POLICY6Environmental CareTo minimise the adverse impact of thecompany’s operations on the environmentHealth, Safety and Well-BeingTo be an industry-best workplaceStakeholder RelationshipsTo be responsive to stakeholder requirementscustomer ServiceTo provide high-quality products and meetcustomer service level requirementsasset ManagementTo manage and maintain the long-termintegrity of assetseconomic PerformanceTo manage the business efficientlyat minimum pricesCompany VisionOutstanding and affordable waterservices for all the people of Auckland.Front cover: The ageing sewer that crosses Hobson Bay is demolishedas part of Project Hobson. It has been replaced with a high-capacity storagetunnel that runs from Parnell to a pump station in Orakei.About WatercareWatercare Services Limited (Watercare) is the bulk water andwastewater service provider for the Auckland region of New Zealand.The company draws water from twelve sources, treats it to A-gradequality and supplies it to six local network operators (LNOs) thatretail it to more than 1.2 million consumers.Watercare operates a regional wastewater network, receivingwastewater from Metrowater (Auckland City), Manukau City,Waitakere City Council and United Water (Papakura district)and treating it at the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant.The company is owned by the city and district councils of Auckland,Manukau, Waitakere, North Shore, Papakura and Rodney.From 1 November 2010, as a result of regional governance changes,Watercare will become the integrated water and wastewatercompany, providing water and wastewater services directly tothe people of Auckland and be a wholly owned subsidiary of thenew Auckland Council. United Water will continue to retail waterand wastewater services in the Papakura area under an existingfranchise agreement. However, Watercare will continue to providewholesale services and own the assets.Project One, referred to throughout this report, consists of relevantexperts tasked with the process of integrating the LNOs and theirretail water and wastewater services into Watercare.Integrated ReportingWatercare is committed to being a good corporate citizen,providing cost-effective services that balance the social,cultural, economic and environmental impacts of itsdecisions. As the company responsible for deliveringhigh-quality water and wastewater services to the peopleof Auckland it is recognised that our services contributesignificantly to the health and well-being of our community.However, it is acknowledged also that our operations canhave both positive and negative impacts on people and theenvironment. It is due to this belief and a commitment totransparency that Watercare’s Annual Report is following theobjectives of integrated reporting as outlined by the Princeof Wales Accounting for Sustainability Project and the GlobalReporting Initiative providing integrated information on thecompany’s environmental, social and governance issues.How to Read the Sustainability Performance Rulers(PAGES 23 – 60)Watercare uses sustainability rulers to measure achievements against 19 objectives in six key policy areas. These are intended to allow stakeholders to compare ourperformance against that of previous years. Each ruler comprises 10 units, which are either a measure or an action to be achieved, giving Watercare’s performancea score out of 10.Email address to gain furtherinformation about the rulerAchievedPartially achievedG3 table referenceNot achievedA. Objective (a.staffname@watercare.co.nz)Unit of measure 0.5 0.5 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10TargetG3TABLEThis year’s performance(out of 10)20109/10BenchmarkPrevious four years’ results for comparison2006 2007 2008 20095.5 6.5 7.5 8.5Results in each policy area are summarised at the start of the chapter in which they are covered. For ease of reading,Watercare’s performance against targets in all six policy areas is presented in chart form on page 5.