Jack Marshall
There’s a saying that holds true: if it ain’t measured, it ain’t managed. Those who follow national news may have noticed that Wellington has recently imposed level-one water restrictions despite the torrential downpours. What?
Why the need for water restrictions in the capital? A key reason is Wellington’s lack of water meters. Just like we track our electricity and broadband, the meters measure household water consumption.
Gisborne residents pay a fixed fee per year for unlimited water use. Your neighbour can leave their taps on day in and day out and that’s above board. It needs to change.
In areas without metering, water usage can reach as much as 800 litres per person daily, according to Water New Zealand. In Auckland, where every house has a water meter, residents typically use between 140 and 170 litres of water per person per day.
We all know of a family who happily refills their swimming pool time and time again over the summer. A standard pool from The Warehouse can require over 16,000 litres to fill. There’s nothing wrong with that if they were paying for it, but right now they’re using everybody’s resource for their own benefit.
Water is a limited resource but we treat it like Winton Peters’ tenure in politics: seemingly limitless.
We’ve experienced some wet weather this year but the pendulum is poised to swing the other way. Climate scientists are forecasting New Zealand’s hottest summer on record as we transition from La Niña to El Niño. The East Coast is bracing for drought conditions, with experts predicting one of the most potent El Niño weather patterns in generations.
Despite being cash-strapped and cyclone-battered, Gisborne District Council is working on a solution. The Long Term Plan has provisions to expand water meters to all Gisborne residential properties. The key word there is “expand”, as commercial businesses, industry and rural properties are already charged based on the amount of water they use. The council will be considering making the move to residential volumetric charges in the 2024 Long Term Plan. Expect pushback.
Installing water meters can be challenging. “Progressive” Wellington, possibly the most politically left-wing city in New Zealand, has struggled to implement water meters due to opposition from ratepayers. The individualistic mindset tends to prevail when it comes to charging people for water.
But volumetric charges are about paying for the exact amount of water you use. It’s like buying groceries — you pay for what you take home, not a fixed fee.
“There is abundant evidence internationally and nationally that the introduction of charging clearly shows a reduction of water use,” says Dave Hadfield, the council’s community lifelines acting director.
Dave says meters are critical for collecting information on leak detections and prioritising repairs, in both private and public infrastructure. That means the council can inform owners early about high water usage. Maybe they’ve just refilled their pool, or maybe a pipe has burst under the house and there’s a hidden flood behind the wall.
The good news is that nothing will change for those of us who use water sensibly. In fact, you may even get a reduction in the cost of water. Currently, we all pay for water through our rates, but individuals who exploit the system can take advantage without incurring extra charges.
But before any of this happens, Dave says there needs to be conversations about how the changes would affect residents, like the price of water and how that would impact households with families. “The metering of water is overshadowed by the more difficult discussion on volumetric charges,” says Dave.
To convince Gisborne residents of the benefits of water management, the council must secure community support for water meters. City leaders need to emphasise that water meters will not increase costs for the average household, but will instead curtail excessive consumption and safeguard our water as the invaluable resource it truly is.
Water meters put the power in the hands of consumers. By taking personal responsibility for our water use, we can become more conscientious consumers, especially during droughts. Instead of using drinking water to wash the car in a drought, your neighbour might instal a greywater tank to reuse their water.
If Cyclone Gabrielle taught us anything, it’s the need for resilience. While the cyclone confirmed the destructive force of heavy rainfall, this El Niño summer will likely confront us with bone-dry heat and the preciousness of water.
Measuring our water usage is a vital step towards sustainable resource management. It ensures fairness, encourages responsible consumption, and protects our water during times of scarcity. If we can agree on anything, make it this: let’s not be like Wellington. Let’s be responsible and wise managers of our resources and measure what must be managed.
■ Jack Marshall is a freelance writer from Tairāwhiti and a former Gisborne Herald reporter.