Affordable Water – Inaccuracies – not for everybody in Whitianga

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Written by

Pauline Stewart

Published on

July 15, 2025

It’s unfair and a burden because of bad planning. The following figures have been checked. They are accurate.

It is a fact that when the water meters were installed in Whitianga in 2021, not all home units received a meter. In many cases, one metre per property was often installed even when there were more homes on that property. This simply makes it unfair for all properties in this situation.

At the time the meters were installed, this resident challenged the installer explaining that there were two homes side by side – parallel lines would be all that is required – a simple job. The response was, ‘We have to get these meters done in a hurry. The money has to be spent before the budget year is up. The front page headline of The Informer 10 November, 2020 read “Whitianga first in line for water meters.”

One factor to acknowledge with the installation of these particular meters is that one could summise that they were the end of old style meters.. These meters require a technician to personally read each meter. This occurs twice a year at the rate payers expense.

Were the meters received as a ‘money gift’ from central government, part of a left over batch? That would be acceptable if the meters arrived ‘in a hurry’ 10 years ago, but not in October 2021,(when the meters were installed) when the rollout for smart meters in Auckland began in April 2022?

In 2025, this town not only has a meter system that cannot possibly measure water usage fairly, but everyone with an installed meter has an “out dated’ model that requires a person to physically come and read it.

No accolades here. This is inefficient, and incompetent and these criticisms would be levelled at a private business. Could our council at least admit this is a stuff up. It was well before our elected councillors and community board members were elected (by a few months), but it needs to be in their time that the matter is acknowledged and made fairer. The community board members need to advocate and push hard and demand adjustment from the councllors who can engage staff to fix it.

Let’s carefully note the charges this resident has set out to help us understand just how unfair his/her situation is.

This resident’s water costs – his/her factual account

• Like other households, I (my home) was left out, when the water meters were installed in a hurry in October 2021.

• There is a big discrepancy in what TCDC is charging for households on water meters and households without water meters.

• In 2025-2026, the proposed fixed rates for non-metered properties are $1,161.73.

• For metered properties, the fixed rates are $580.86 plus the metered water.

• My single friend paid her first invoice for metered water for 6 months – $30.00 ($60 per year).

• Other friends – a married couple paid for the same period – $90.00 – ($180 per year).

My calculation for the proposed rates for 2025-2026

A single household pays $80.00 plus fixed charge of $580.86 = $660.86 (metered property).

For a couple in a household $180.00 = $760.86 (metered property).

NOTE: The issue and injustice that confronts me and many others is that, as a single occupant of a household, I will pay, without a meter, a fixed charge of $1161.73.

Result: In 2025-2026, compared with a single household with a water meter, I will pay approximately $500.00 more in water rates. Is this simply because I do not have a water meter?

How I see my rates are calculated by TCDC:

• TCDC charges $1.62 per 1000 litre of water (one cubic meter).

• Fixed rate is $580.86 plus the rate for the unmetered water of $580.87 (This comes to the $1161.73 as stated above).

• How this fixed rate is determined and becomes a fixed rate is a big question?

• How is that fixed rate worked out?

Breaking it down

My unmetered water amount of $580.87 buys me 358,561.73 litres of water annually, or 982.36 litres per day.

No logic:

According to Watercare (Google) a person in Auckland is using an average of 241 litres per day. So why in any logical world am I paying for 982.36 litres per day? I am not emptying the Pacific Ocean!

How we got to this

From TCDC, $1.62 buys us 1000 litres of water.

Question: What would we get for $1.00? Answer: We get 617.28 litres.

The resident: ‘I have a fixed rate of $580.87; so therefore I am paying for 358,559.44 litres of water annually. (1000L divided by 1.62 multiplied by 580.87)

Question: How much water am I paying for per day based on the above? Answer: Per day, I divide the amount of 358,561.73 by 365 (days in the year) and that equals 982.36 litres per day.

Note: The amount of 982.36 litres of water is the amount for a household with 4 persons, each using 245 litres/day. This is the high-end rate

Water meters on Coromandel Peninsula: Currently, Coromandel Town, Pāuanui, and Thames townships have fully metered water supplies for all properties. Commercial properties in Whitianga are metered, while Whitianga residential properties are metered, the process is ongoing with some properties requiring unbundling, Whangamata also has water meters, but like Whitianga, some properties have one meter for multiple dwellings, requiring unbundling. Tairua does not have water meters.

Hauraki District: Water meters are installed in all eight water supply systems, which includes Paeroa and Waihi. The Hauraki District Council provides a treated water supply to approximately 7,500 properties through these systems.

Affordable Water – Inaccuracies – not for everybody in Whitianga

It is a fact that when the water meters were installed in Whitianga in 2021, not all home units received a meter. In many cases, one metre per property was often installed even when there were more homes on that property. This simply makes it unfair for all properties in this situation.

One factor to acknowledge with the installation of these particular meters is that one could summise that they were the end of old style meters.. These meters require a technician to personally read each meter. This occurs twice a year at the rate payers expense.

In 2025, this town not only has a meter system that cannot possibly measure water usage fairly, but everyone with an installed meter has an “out dated’ model that requires a person to physically come and read it.

Let’s carefully note the charges this resident has set out to help us understand just how unfair his/her situation is.

This resident’s water costs – his/her factual account

• Like other households, I (my home) was left out, when the water meters were installed in a hurry in October 2021.

• There is a big discrepancy in what TCDC is charging for households on water meters and households without water meters.

• In 2025-2026, the proposed fixed rates for non-metered properties are $1,161.73.

• For metered properties, the fixed rates are $580.86 plus the metered water.

• My single friend paid her first invoice for metered water for 6 months – $30.00 ($60 per year).

• Other friends – a married couple paid for the same period – $90.00 – ($180 per year).

My calculation for the proposed rates for 2025-2026

A single household pays $80.00 plus fixed charge of $580.86 = $660.86 (metered property).

For a couple in a household $180.00 = $760.86 (metered property).

NOTE: The issue and injustice that confronts me and many others is that, as a single occupant of a household, I will pay, without a meter, a fixed charge of $1161.73.

Result: In 2025-2026, compared with a single household with a water meter, I will pay approximately $500.00 more in water rates. Is this simply because I do not have a water meter?

How I see my rates are calculated by TCDC:

• TCDC charges $1.62 per 1000 litre of water (one cubic meter).

• Fixed rate is $580.86 plus the rate for the unmetered water of $580.87 (This comes to the $1161.73 as stated above).

• How this fixed rate is determined and becomes a fixed rate is a big question?

• How is that fixed rate worked out?

Breaking it down

My unmetered water amount of $580.87 buys me 358,561.73 litres of water annually, or 982.36 litres per day.

No logic:

According to Watercare (Google) a person in Auckland is using an average of 241 litres per day. So why in any logical world am I paying for 982.36 litres per day? I am not emptying the Pacific Ocean!

How we got to this

From TCDC, $1.62 buys us 1000 litres of water.

Question: What would we get for $1.00? Answer: We get 617.28 litres.

The resident: ‘I have a fixed rate of $580.87; so therefore I am paying for 358,559.44 litres of water annually. (1000L divided by 1.62 multiplied by 580.87)

Question: How much water am I paying for per day based on the above? Answer: Per day, I divide the amount of 358,561.73 by 365 (days in the year) and that equals 982.36 litres per day.

Note: The amount of 982.36 litres of water is the amount for a household with 4 persons, each using 245 litres/day. This is the high-end rate

Hauraki District: Water meters are installed in all eight water supply systems, which includes Paeroa and Waihi. The Hauraki District Council provides a treated water supply to approximately 7,500 properties through these systems.

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