diff --git a/zuul_operator/zuul.py b/zuul_operator/zuul.py
index 9fc712c..25beef5 100644
--- a/zuul_operator/zuul.py
+++ b/zuul_operator/zuul.py
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ class Zuul:
                     if k == 'sshkey':
                         v = f'/etc/zuul/connections/{connection_name}/sshkey'
                     else:
-                        v = base64.b64decode(v)
+                        v = base64.b64decode(v).decode('utf-8')
                     connection[k] = v
 
         kw = {'connections': connections,