Water meters help detect leaks draining our water supply. From March 2024, we are installing new digital water meters across the district so we can find and remedy leaks in our network and reduce water treatment costs.
Some properties, such as commercial and industrial premises, properties with pools, educational and health facilities, retirement villages and properties with agricultural use and all properties in Foxton Beach already have water meters. These analogue water meters will be replaced with the new digital water meters being installed across Horowhenua so leaks can be detected faster and easier.
The new meters also make it easier for you to track your water consumption and see how small changes can make a big difference to saving water.
Water consumption charges
If you live in Levin, Ōhau, Foxton, Shannon or Tokomaru and you have a water meter, your ordinary Council rates cover the cost of 91,000 litres of water per quarter (that’s approximately 1,000 litres a day). As long as you don’t use more than this, you won’t incur any extra water usage charges. The 91,000 litre allowance can’t be increased and doesn’t accrue, so you can’t carry over any unused part of it to the next quarter.
If you live in Foxton Beach, you’ll be charged at different rates per 1,000 litres depending on how much water you use, according to a three-tier system: First 50,000 litres; 51,000 to 100,000 litres; and over 101,000 litres.
Having a water meter means you’ll pay for some or all of your water on a ‘user pays’ basis.
There is an amnesty period if a leak is found on your property and has caused you to have used more than your water allocation. You can apply within three months of your water meter being installed for a 100% remission on your excess water usage bill if it’s caused by a leak, upon proof of repair.
Outside of this three month amnesty, you can apply for up to a 50% remission on the excess usage charges incurred because of the leak upon proof of repair.
We will consult with our community before any changes are made to our water billing system.
Billing cycles
We'll read your meter every three months. Your billing cycle will depend on where you live - you can check your billing cycle below.
Levin, Foxton & Ōhau
| Billing Quarters |
Meter Reading & Invoicing Month |
Payment Due Date |
| July - September |
September |
25 October |
| October - December |
December |
25 January |
| January - March |
March |
25 April |
| April - June |
June |
25 July |
Whirokino & Foxton Beach (Route 1-5)
| Billing Quarters |
Meter Reading & Invoicing Month |
Payment Due Date |
| June - August |
August |
25 September |
| September - November |
November |
15 January |
| December - February |
February |
25 March |
| March - May |
May |
25 June |
Tokomaru, Shannon & Foxton Beach (Route 6-10)
| Billing Quarters |
Meter Reading & Invoicing Month |
Payment Due Date |
| May - July |
July |
25 August |
| August - October |
October |
25 November |
| November - January |
January |
25 February |
| February - April |
April |
25 May |
As well as wasting a precious resource, a water leak on your property could mean a higher water bill and could even cause aesthetic or structural damage to your home.
Who is responsible for leaks?
By law, it’s your responsibility to maintain your plumbing on your property and avoid wasting water. You can do this by monitoring your property for leaks and getting them fixed if you find any.
It’s Council’s responsibility to maintain the water network and supply up to the Council-owned water toby that supplies your property. If you see or suspect a leak outside your property, please contact us immediately.
Will Council notify me if I have a leak?
We’ll send you a letter if we detect unusually high water usage that could indicate a leak.
If your property has an existing analogue water meter, we can only detect unusually high usage on your third reading and after. This is because our system works by identifying outliers (readings higher than your usual usage). For this reason, our system doesn’t always pick up consistently high usage if you’ve had a leak since your meter was installed.
We read your water meter every three months, so you could have a leak for some time before we can detect it and notify you. Therefore, it’s important to check your own property for leaks.
New digital water meters are replacing the old analogue ones and will be able to detect leaks almost immediately.
What are my options if I unexpectedly get a big water bill because of a leak?
There is an amnesty period if a leak is found on your property and has caused you to have used more than your water allocation. You can apply within three months of your water meter being installed for a 100% remission on your excess water usage bill if it’s caused by a leak, upon proof of repair.
Outside of this three month amnesty, you can apply for up to a 50% remission on the excess usage charges incurred because of the leak. You’ll need to provide proof the leak has been fixed, such as confirmation from your plumber or two photos of your meter reading taken one week apart.
If you're facing hardship, we can also work with you on a case-by-case basis to help you.
Identifying water leaks at your property is a simple task that can greatly benefit you and the community.
The five-minute test
Use this simple five-minute test:
- Check all taps are turned off and water-using appliances (dishwashers, washing machines, etc) are not operating.
- Locate the blue water meter lid on your boundary, lift it up and write down the time and reading on the meter inside.
- Sit down and relax for five minutes.
- Re-read your water meter, taking note of the reading and time again. If the numbers have changed then you might have a water leak and you may want to contact a plumber. If you are unsure, Council’s water services staff can come and double-check it for you.
In addition, look out for:
- Wet areas or unexplained patches of green along the route from your toby to where the water pipe enters your house.
- Obvious leaks from fittings and connections.
- Dripping taps.
- Leaky toilet cisterns – hissing, trickling or running sounds from the cistern may indicate a leak.
Watch our video
In Aotearoa New Zealand we're surrounded by water, so it's easy to think of it as a free resource - one that will never run out. But that isn't entirely the case.
There's only a certain amount of water in our rivers, streams and dams, and sometimes (especially in summer) demand is greater than supply.
Water conservation starts at home
Water conservation starts at home, where our daily use of tapware, showerheads, dishwashers and toilets all add up to some big numbers.
Fortunately, you can dramatically reduce your water usage through using our helpful water saving tips throughout your home.
We've put together some common questions we receive from our community about water and the corresponding answers. If you can't find the answer you're looking for please phone 06 366 0999 or email enquiries@horowhenua.govt.nz
Water Supply Meter Charges for Levin, Foxton, Shannon, Tokomaru & Ōhau
The water charges for properties with town water supply, excluding Foxton Beach, are the same for all types of properties where a water meter is in place.
Some rural properties have restricted supplies where a fixed amount of water is supplied at a continuous rate. Some of these properties are metered and are charged for water use on the same basis as any other metered connection. Council is progressively extending the coverage of meters throughout the supply area.
Each property, whether metered or not, pays an annual amount for the water supply through the property rates. This amount is given in the Annual Plan.
Metered properties are entitled to receive an "allowance" of 91m3 (91,000 litres) per quarter during each three (3) month charging period at no cost. The balance of any water use beyond the allowance is charged for at a rate per cubic meter (m3) given in the Annual Plan.
Foxton Beach Properties Only
Foxton Beach is universally metered, with Council charging for all water use at the property, as recorded by the water meter at the property boundary. The water meters are read every three months, with the first 50m³ charged out at a low rate given in the annual plan. Up to 100m³ the charge out rate is a medium rate. Any water use greater than 100m³ is charged at a higher rate. These charges are all included in the Annual Plan.
There is quarterly meter charge (even if the property is not connected).
Our district is short on water, and we currently lose up to a quarter of our supply through water leaks each year (between 300 to 500 litres per connected property per day) putting unnecessary pressure on our water infrastructure. Water restrictions are not popular, and during the Long Term Plan Amendment 2021/2041 it was decided that water meters will be installed to detect leaks and reduce water wastage for a more reliable water supply in Horowhenua.
Please contact a Council Customer Service Representative on (06) 366 0999 or email us enquiries@horowhenua.govt.nz. Council will investigate and taken action as necessary.
Digital water meters are simple. There's no dial to interpret, and the display simply tells you how many units (1 unit is 1 cubic meter or 1,000 litres) of water you've used.
Water meters can identify leaks so we can locate and remedy them. Water metering encourages people to be more aware of their water use habits and also prompts people to fix water leaks on their properties.
Council receives notification of a sale from the vendor's lawyers and a final water meter reading is completed near settlement - the fee is $63.00. Alternatively, customers can email a photo of the water meter taken on or near settlement day, showing the reading, to waterbilling@horowhenua.govt.nz.
This code is for the operating system the meter uses and is part of the normal functioning on the water meter.
The district wide installation of Sensus 640MC smart water meters was approved through the Long Term Plan 2021-2041 Amendment and forms part of the Water Conservation Plan. The installation of analogue meters is not an approved option.
The Council's water meter or toby box is usually located on the berm just outside your front fence.
In some instances, water tobies are installed up `Right of Ways' and occasionally within private property. The actual position of your meter may be recorded on Councils online mapping system.
Alternatively, these locations can be given over the telephone by contacting Councils Customer Services Team.
In some areas a white line drawn on the road may also indicate the tobys location.
Turning the toby off?
For boxes containing a blue lid
Use a screwdriver to lift the lid, inside you will see a blue tap handle. An arrow on the handle indicates the clockwise direction to turn to shut the water off – remember lefty loosey, right tighty.
For boxes containing a metal plate
These have a handle system, turn handle the opposite way, this should shut the water off.
Only properties connected to the town supply will have a water meter installed.
All properties in Horowhenua connected to town supply will have digital water meters installed by 2025. The roll out began in March 2024.
If a water leak is on private property then it is the owner's responsibility to repair. The owner needs to contact a plumber to undertake repairs.
If you have an analogue water meter, we read your water meter every three months, so a leak can exist for some time before we can detect it and notify you. Therefore, it’s important to check your own property for leaks.
If your property has a water meter installed, we’ll notify you in a letter sent out with your water bill if we detect unusually high water usage that could indicate a leak. However, we can only detect unusually high usage on your third reading and after. This is because our system works by identifying outliers (readings higher than your usual usage). For this reason, our system doesn’t always pick up consistently high usage if you’ve had a leak since your meter was installed – we’re working on a solution for this to improve our services.
We are replacing analogue water meters with new digital ones so we are able to detect leaks faster. We will leave a letter in the mailbox of properties where leaks are detected.
No, the water allowance only applies per quarter.
Can I increase my quarterly water allowance?
Generally no. The quarterly allowance of water is per water connection to a property.
The only time a customer would receive more than the allocated allowance is if they have more than one water connection, and have been charged the appropriate water levies on their rates.
If you have more than one meter servicing your property, the total water from the meters will be calculated.