Tauwharenīkau Pipeline River Crossing Replacement
The Tauwharenīkau River watermain pipe replacement is a key water supply resilience priority for Featherston. Construction is scheduled to begin on 1 December 2025 and is expected to be completed by the end of April 2026.
About the project
The project will see the installation of a new pipe crossing, approximately 4m below the riverbed. The works involve trenching and laying new water pipe alongside the existing one.
This work will take approximately four months, starting from 1 December 2025. Hours of work will generally be 7am-5.30pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturdays worked if necessary.
During this period, there will be increased construction vehicle traffic on Underhill Road heading North from Featherston. Access to individual properties will not be affected.
This project is part of a suite of water infrastructure investment for the South Wairarapa community. From 1 July 2025, the Council took the water capital programme back in-house (previously delivered on Council’s behalf by Wellington Water Ltd) towards efficiency, more cost control, and local contractor delivery where appropriate.
Current status – January 2026
The Tauwharenīkau River watermain pipeline project is now well under way and is being delivered to schedule. The second half of the pipe sleeve has been successfully installed, with the transition from the old to the new pipeline expected to take place in early March.
When it’s time to connect the new pipeline, we will be asking the community to help us to conserve water to enable this important work to go ahead. We will share more information about this soon.
Scheduled temporary water supply shutdown Underhill Road – Tuesday 3rd February 2026, 9am-4pm
A trial shutdown to confirm valve operation is scheduled for Tuesday 3 February 2026.
Project advice letters have been delivered to affected residents.
The water supply needs to be temporarily turned off – impacting properties from 81 through to 471 Underhill Road.
The shutdown is scheduled for: Tuesday 3rd February 2026, 9am-4pm
If you need water during this period, you should fill up suitable containers before the water is turned off.
• Try not to use hot taps while the water is off. Hot water cylinders may be damaged if the water level gets too low.
• Do not use washing machines, automatic dishwashers or other appliances that use water during the shut-off period as they may be damaged if used without water.
• The water may come back on for a short period in the middle of the day; please try not to use hot taps or appliances until the end of the day when the supply is fully restored.
• In the event of very bad weather, work will be deferred to a later date.
• When the water supply is turned back on, the water may have a milky-white appearance. This is caused by small air bubbles in the water supply and will not affect taste or quality. We will try to eliminate most of the air from the system when the supply is restored. However, if air is still visible in your water, running a tap for a few minutes should clear it from your pipes.
Project updates
December 2025
The project began on 1 December 2025, following a mana whenua karakia the night before for the project and workers as they implement a more resilient water supply for the community in Paetumokai (Featherston). The project is being delivered to schedule with the first trench being installed on the south side of the river and the pipe sleeve inserted 4m below the current riverbed level. The trench is currently being back filled ahead of the next tranche of work in 2026. The Tauwharenīkau River will be put back in place over the Christmas break.
Background
Featherston township’s water supply is sourced from the Waiohine catchment and transported to the township through the pipeline that crosses the Tauwharenīkau River. The metal pipe is encased in concrete. Since the crossing was installed, the riverbed has dropped leaving the watermain pipe exposed and vulnerable to failure. In 2022, work began to evaluate potential options to resolve the problem and remedial work was done to maintain the waterpipe.
