Water Services
Kaikōura District Council operates eight public water schemes supplying water/kātao to over 3,000 properties.
All Kaikōura District Council water schemes meet New Zealand drinking water standards.
On this page
- Our water schemes
- Request a new water, storm water or sewer connection
- How our water is treated
- Boil water notices
- Water supply problems
- Plumbosolvency Notice
Our Water Schemes
Scheme type: On demand (pressure supply)
Location: download a map
Scheme type: On demand (pressure supply)
Location: download a map
Scheme type: Rural trickle flow
Location: download a map
Water Quality Status: Boil Water Notice in place
Scheme type: Rural trickle flow
Location: download a map
Water Quality Status:
Scheme shuts down automatically to keep silty water out during and after long or heavy rain fall.
What do I need to do?
- Make sure you have enough on-property storage to allow for at least three days without supply.
- During and after heavy rain, minimise your water use
- Please make sure everyone who lives in or uses this property knows about this.
How will I know about it?
If we expect a long outage we will update Council's Facebook page and also send emails if we have your email address. We will not send notices after every rain event.
Scheme type: On demand (pressure supply)
Location: download map
Location: view map
Location: Map not yet available
How to install a new drinking water, storm water or sewer connection
You can apply for a new connection to the drinking water, storm water or sewer infrastructure by completing the form below and paying the administration fee. Before you submit your application, we encourage you to discuss your proposed change with Council staff. To discuss your application you can phone 03 319 5026 or email kdc@kaikoura.govt.nz.
You must ensure you have satisfied any resource consent and building consent requirements prior to work commencing. You will arrange for work within your own property at your expense and Council staff will arrange for work on Council assets to be undertaken by a Council-approved contractor. The Council-approved contractor will undertake the work and invoice you directly, Council staff will update the rates database for your property to ensure the correct rates and charges are applied to your property.
Click here to download an application form for a new water, sewer, or storm water connection and return to kdc@kaikoura.govt.nz
How our water is treated
All of our water schemes are treated through filtration, ultraviolet light disinfection and chlorination. Currently none of our water schemes are fluoridated.
The Director General of Health wrote to water suppliers on 15 December 2021 to confirm the community oral health benefits of fluoridation and that fluoridation of supplies serving more than 500 people will be required under the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Act 2021. In the Kaikoura district this will only apply to the Kaikoura urban supply. The other schemes serve less than 250 people each.
At this stage nothing has been required of KDC and a definite date for implementation has not been set. Kaikōura District Council does not have any provision for capital or operational costs of fluoridation in our current long term or annual plans.
Boil water notices
Boil Water Notices (BWN) are put in place when there is an elevated risk of contamination of the water or routine testing results show that acceptable limits for contaminants have been exceeded.
We understand that living with Boil Water Notices can be frustrating. Council is doing everything possible to improve water quality and remove notices as soon as possible.
Current Boil Water Notices
East Coast Rural Water Supply (see map above)
The source bore has been upgraded and full treatment and online monitoring were commissioned in June 2022. Testing in the Clarence village part of the supply network has shown compliance. Provided regulatory agency, Taumata Arowai, agrees, the notice for the village will be lifted. .
As soon as compliant test results are received from the more extensive rural part of the scheme, the notice for the rural part will also be lifted by agreement with the regulatory agency, Taumata Arowai
Fernleigh Rural Water Supply (see map above)
A boil water notice has been in place since 2016 due to inadequate protection and treatment.
Full treatment was commissioned in June 2022 and monitoring and testing have shown ongoing compliance since then. The notice will be lifted by agreement with the regulatory agency, Taumata Arowai.
Water Supply Problems
If you have a problem with your water supply, check if it's a problem with the pipes in your house, or the pipe between the Council’s service valve and your house. If this is the case the problem is the property owners responsibility.
For problems on the Council side of the 'point of supply', contact us by calling 03 319 5026 or request help through the easy online form here.
Plumbosolvency Notice
In New Zealand, most drinking water is plumbosolvent, which means it can dissolve very small amounts of metals from older pipes or from metal fittings such as taps. As an example, when you turn off a tap there will be a small amount of water left in the tap body. If this water is left sitting in the tap for hours it may dissolve metals from the tap body. Some plumbing fittings have the potential to allow minute traces of metals to accumulate in water that is standing in the fittings for several hours.
Although the health risk is negligible, your local Council & the Ministry of Health is recommending that all households flush a cup of water from their drinking water taps each morning before use. This is in line with the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand.
All households are advised to take this precaution, whether they are on a public or private water supply.
If you want to know more, check with your plumber or contact your local Council for more information.
