Call for Wellington water meters to be installed ASAP

Tuesday, 13 February 2024

Wellington is losing the equivalent of 30 Olympic swimming pools per day. Water meters are seen as the best way to reduce water use and identify leaks.

Households across the Wellington region are going to have to get used to water meters, with all four metropolitan mayors telling the regional council they support them.

As the region continues to struggle with more than 3000 leaks, meters are seen as one of the best ways to identify leaks and reduce household use.

The four metropolitan mayors have responded positively to a letter by Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter asking for a commitment to meters. Ponter had told the mayors he would consider a higher charge for bulk water if he did not see plans for water meters by January 31.

On Monday, Ponter welcomed the positive response from the mayors and urged them to move as quickly as possible.

It is now up to each metropolitan council to include the expenditure in their long term plans.

Wellington’s political leaders have finally agreed on the need for water meters to conserve water. From top left: Porirua Mayor Anita Baker, Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau, Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter, Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy and Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry.

In a statement, Wellington Water estimated the regional cost of installing meters at $260 million over five years. It based its estimate on what other councils nationally had paid to install smart meters.

Porirua and Hutt City had already allocated funding to meters in their plans and their mayors had publicly backed meters as a necessity of the region is going to tackle the water crisis.

Upper Hutt and Wellington City had been reluctant to commit to meters with Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy saying he would not do so without seeing a robust business case.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau had previously said she had concerns over fairness, as large families could be disadvantaged by meters.

Last June, for instance, she said: “Water metering can be an effective tool to identify leaks in the drinking water system. However, meters do take time and money to implement. It is something we will consider in our upcoming Long-term Plan.

“While there are positives to water meters, there is also risk around possible financial hardship it could cause to larger, less affluent families.”

In a dry summer the Te Mārua storage lakes cannot hold enough water for the Wellington region. Water meters are seen as one of the best ways to reduce water use and identify leaks.

All those factors would need to be considered in any future decisions made by the council, she said at the time.

In November, The Post reported that Wellington City was refusing to put meters in its long term and was not planning to consult on meters.

Ponter said he was pleased by the response from the four councils and in the case of Upper Hutt and Wellington City, it signalled a recognition of just how serious the water crisis is.

“It [the need to reduce water loss] really is an urgent issue that can’t be ignored.”

Although Wellington Water has said that it would take at least two years to do a business case and install meters, Ponter hoped that meters can be installed as quickly as possible.

He noted that numerous councils across New Zealand had installed meters without problems and said he could not see why Wellington should be any different.

In October, Wellington Water chief executive Tonia Haskell estimated the cost of meters between $1500 and $2000 per meter.

With 151,000 households across the region, and using the upper figure, that equated to roughly $300m, she said at the time.