Residential water meters on the way for Hamilton East in $1.1m pilot programme

Wednesday, 27 August 2025

Water meters will inevitably be a common sight in all Kirikiriroa households - but whether they look like this will be a decision made after the upcoming Hamilton East pilot programme.

Once one of the most controversial and hotly-contested issues in Hamilton, residential water meters are now all but a fait accompli for the city.

Hamilton City Council staff will soon roll out a pilot programme involving about 200 homes in Hamilton East.

The council will soon call for “volunteer households” to take part.

The programme will be managed by IAWAI – Flowing Waters, the joint waters company formed by Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council.

In June, city councillors allocated $1.1 million for the investigation and pilot, handing the work to IAWAI to manage as one of its first strategic projects.

Former Wellington City Council chief executive Kevin Lavery, who now heads IAWAI – Flowing Waters, the joint waters company formed by Hamilton City Council and Waikato District Council, says Hamilton is one of the last major cities to have water meters installed.

The Waikato District Council, which installed residential water meters in 2017, will separately fund its own trial, upgrading a small number of existing meters to test the benefits of automated meter reading.

The pilot will also include a small number of the 4000 commercial properties in Hamilton which already have water meters.

Previous cost estimates for installing water meters in Hamilton have put the bill at about $53m.

IAWAI executive chairman Kevin Lavery said the Government had been explicit that councils like Hamilton must move away from charging for waters using capital value rating.

The Commerce Commission, which will help regulate public water infrastructure, may also require residential water meters in future, Lavery said.

Water meters are now generally acknowledged as a means of reducing water wastage, and could stave off the need for the city council to spend billions on infrastructure upgrades for some years.

“Hamilton is one of few large cities not to have residential meters and the proposed legislation makes it clear we have five years to move away from capital value charging.

“So while there will be no immediate change the clock is ticking, and we will need good information and robust research to make the right decisions.”

The city council had already changed how ratepayers see the charges for water services, with the introduction of separate rates for water supply, wastewater and stormwater.

The pilot programme would seek information on the best type of meters to use, how they should be read and serviced, water usage, and customer feedback.

Hamilton East had been chosen because its older infrastructure will also provide information on potential retrofit cost.

“Before we commit to anything, we want complete confidence in the process, the technology, the benefits and the costs.”

Lavery said he thought it was likely residential water meters could be required as part of the city’s resource consent to take water from the Waikato River. That resource consent is up for renewal in 2044.

He also noted Waikato-Tainui supported water metering as part of its environmental plan to protect the Waikato River.

“The commitment to the health of the awa is something all partners share.”

The water meter rush is a far cry from recent decades when the spectre of water meters for homes became controversial.

They exploded as an election issue in 2013, with some fearing they could pave the way for future privatisation and others concerned about equity for larger households.

Leading the charge against meters at that time were outspoken city councillors Dave Macpherson and Ewan Wilson.

Wilson is now among the advocates for installing water meters, as is fellow councillor Sarah Thomson and deputy mayor Angela O’Leary - another former opponent to meters.

Waikato Times canvassing of city councillors last year found only two were staunchly opposed: Geoff Taylor and Andrew Bydder.

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate said her council wants a thorough investigation of water metering options before decisions are made by IAWAI.

“We allocated money for the pilot as part of our annual plan because it is very clear residential meters will be required down the track. There is no doubt about that,” she said.

“Nor is there any argument that, as a city, we need to encourage the sustainable and responsible use of water.

“The cost of infrastructure is eye-watering. Using less water delays the need for costly upgrades to plants and pipes and puts less pressure on existing infrastructure.”

Pending board approval, IAWAI will seek tenders for the pilot programme by mid-September.

Households will be involved on a voluntary basis only, and no household will be forced to take part in the pilot.

The households on the pilot would also be able to track their water use, but would not receive a separate water bill.