Hastings District Council installs 2000 smart water meters

Some of the water connections in Hastings will be covered by 2000 smart water meters installed over the summer to give Hastings District Council a better understanding of water use. Photo / NZME

Hastings District Council (HDC) is installing 2000 smart water meters across Hastings to help gain a better understanding of water use across the district.

Locations were randomly selected in Hastings, Havelock North, Flaxmere, Bridge Pa and Pakipaki.

“In most instances, multiple meters are going in the selected streets to see differences and obtain insights on issues/potential problem spots,” an HDC spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the council has not yet decided on any further installation beyond the initial 2000 meters this financial year.

“It is envisaged that further monitoring meters will be installed, subject to budget. However, no detail on this has been prepared or approved by Council.”

The cost of the investigation, planning and installation of the 2000 meters was about $700,000.

The council spokesperson said installation is already under way and programmed to be completed by the end of February.

The council spokesperson said they could not guarantee that there would be no change to the council’s method of charging for water, but that would first involve a formal process with “comprehensive community communication” and “significant investment in further infrastructure”.

“An added consideration is that the Three Waters legislation enabling the standing-up of the four-entity water delivery structure was enacted last week, which will mean such decisions will no longer sit with Council, as of July 2024,” the spokesperson said.