Good example for drinking water

The recently released Auditor-General's report Managing the supply of and demand for drinking water shows council is setting a good example in their future-focused approach to supplying drinking water, Mayor K Gurunathan said.

The report was presented to the House of Representatives following an audit of four councils' approaches to supplying drinking water. The results were timely given water management discussions going on across the country, he said.

“The report highlights that the Ka¯ piti Coast District Council takes a very different approach to supplying drinking water when compared to the other councils audited. “The council's strategic focus on the whole system means we're leading the way on many fronts.

“This includes reducing water use, detecting and repairing leaks, future-proofing, working with iwi, gathering data and supporting our residents on water-related matters, including affordability and leak repair.

“We've made a significant financial and strategic commitment to improving the district's water supply in recent years, and while this hasn't been popular with everyone, the community as a whole is really starting to see the benefits.”

Since introducing water meters in 2015, 75 per cent of ratepayers pay less for water than if the council stayed with the previous one size fits all approach to manage water supply.

“Peak daily water use has decreased by about 25 per cent introducing water meters, and we're one of only a handful of councils who didn't have to put water restrictions in place over summer. While we acknowledge that every council has its own unique circumstances we believe it's in the interests of all councils to move to a more sustainable long-term approach to supplying their drinking water.”