Taking the plunge: Households to test water meters

Friday, 13 February 2026

Nicola Lee helps daughter Zoe water the garden ahead of their participation in Hamilton’s water meter trial.

A Hamilton resident is keen for a sneak peek at her water use before any future bills take her by surprise.

Nicola Lee’s household is one of 200 that have now been chosen to take part in a water meter trial in Hamilton East.

The trial is being launched by the new waters company for Hamilton city and Waikato district, IAWAI – Flowing Waters.

A decision on water meters is likely later in 2026.

Lee said she was keen to see how much water she was using, and it would be “quite cool” to be able to monitor this on an app.

She was not sure how much water her four-person household used, but said a lot went on watering the garden of her 800m² section and for children’s baths.

Water meters would probably be introduced soon so she wanted to get sorted rather than be taken by surprise at how much the family used, and how much they might have to pay.

“I think it’s a good idea to do the trial first rather than putting it into people’s homes without much warning.”

Free inspection and assessment of suspected leaks was also part of the parcel for participants.

Hamilton East had been chosen as the trial location because of older infrastructure and a range of connection types that would be useful in assessing potential costs and challenges of a wider roll-out.

IAWAI head of strategy and delivery Andrew Parsons said the pilot was aimed at gathering real world data before any major decisions were made.

The trial is expected to start in March and run for three months.

“It's not just about piloting the meter itself,” Parsons said.

“It’s piloting what’s required to install meters, it’s piloting the software systems required to operate the data, it’s piloting the consumer experience.”

A phone or web app would be trialed, as would leak detection methodology.

'It’s really just a discovery exercise.”

The initiative was a response to central government legislation requiring a shift from the current rates-based system of payment for water.

Parsons said the meters were one possible option, but not a done deal.

A decision about a wider roll-out would likely be needed later this year.

While reducing water use was not the aim of the pilot, he said it could be a helpful side benefit because it would reduce stress on infrastructure.

The pilot had already attracted strong community interest, with more than 200 households volunteering to participate.