The cost of drinking water supply and planning for future needs has been a topic of discussion for many communities across the country. With limited storage supply and seasonal increases in demand, it makes sense to gather good data about consumption needs and community use.

So how much water should a property (both residential and commercial) be allocated? Prior to 2024, the annual allocation was 350m³. Following public consultation as part of the 2024-25 Enhanced Annual Plan, the allocation for properties connected to the town supply was reduced to an annual water allocation of 250m³ (250,000), which is equivalent to about 5-6 backyard swimming pools or 7-8 shipping containers full of water.

To incentivise water conservation and deal with water leaks as they are made known, the Council carries out an annual water meter read of South Wairarapa’s main three towns and Pirinoa, and properties are charged $2.56 per cubic meter for water used over this allocation. This ensures that high water users can continue to access the water they need, paying for additional consumption.

Higher than usual water consumption can be an indicator of an undetected leak. If a leak is identified and the property owner arranges to have it fixed, on confirmation of the correction, the Council will waive the bill for beyond allocation consumption. So far for the 2024-25-meter readings, 16% of water invoices have been waived, saving residents more than $111,000 and reducing water loss.

At the same time, the Council is focused on finding and fixing leaks and renewing water pipes that need replacing across the district. The Featherston watermain renewals programme is under way over 2025/26 and involves the laying of new watermain pipe for 11 streets in the community.

How annual meter readings improve water conservation

The Council’s annual meter read has resulted in more water leaks being detected and people being more mindful about their water use. This is due to a two-pronged approach of rewarding leak detection and repair, alongside awareness of water consumption.

During the summer season, limited storage capacity can lead to the risk of water shortages. To manage this, the Council operates a water restrictions system based on water flow availability from the Ruamāhanga River.

It’s Council’s responsibility to work with the community in determining how much drinking water volume should be allocated per property. Following consultation with the community in 2024, it was decided that the per property allocation would be reduced from 350m³ to 250m³, with the view that consumption above this lower allocation would be charged for.  The result was that average household usage dropped significantly.

For the 2024-25 financial year, the average household usage was 194m³, down from 202m3 in 2023-24 and 253m³ in 2022-23.

Year	Average m³ per property Featherston	Average m³ per property Greytown	Average m³ per property Martinborough	Average m³	Number of invoices	Number of waivers
2024-25	169	200	209	194	741*	122 (to date)
2023-24	184	212	207	202	343	109
2022-23	189	343	217	253	331	113

* Annual allocation reduced from 350m3 to 250m³