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Water Meters

Ngā Ine Wai

Water meters have been installed in the majority of Masterton urban residential properties. They help to reduce consumption, identify leaks, and give us better information about water use. Water is a precious resource. The health of our river is very important and water meters help us manage and measure our water use.

Water Use Summaries

We are sending Water Use Summary letters to around 8500 residential properties in urban Masterton that have had water meters installed.

This includes 539 properties where two or more properties share a meter.

The Water Use Summary is not a bill. The Council has deferred the start of charging for water using water meters to make sure water use data is accurate.

The Water Use Summary shows how much water the meter shows is being used by a property, or properties. Summaries also show if the meter is flagging a potential leak - that is, water is continuously flowing through the meter.

Current data indicates 680 individual meters are flagging leaks, and 53 meters shared by 124 properties are flagging leaks.

What to do when you receive your Water Use Summary

  1. Check the meter number on the Water Use Summary matches the number on your water meter - you will find your water meter under the blue panel on the footpath outside your property. If you share a meter with another property, this will be stated on your Water Use Summary - the meter may be on the footpath or on a shared driveway. If the meter number on your Water Use Summary does not match the number on your meter call Customer Services on 06 370 6300.
  2. If your Water Use Summary indicates a leak, check to see if a flag is showing on the panel of the meter. If there is no flag showing, call Customer Services on 06 370 6300.
  3. If a flag is showing, this indicates water is continuously flowing through the meter - a sign of a leak. You can check this by turning off all the taps in your property - inside and out - and watching to see if the numbers are still changing on the meter.
  4. A leak is wasting water - follow the steps under Tracking Down A Leak on this page, or phone a registered plumber for help. The Council is not responsible for leaks on private property.

Shared meters

More than 8000 properties in Masterton have single meters, but some meters are shared by more than one property - around 540 properties sharing a total of 235 meters.

Where a meter is shared, the Council is not able to provide a water use summary for an individual property.

If you share a water connection with another property or properties you and your neighbours are equally responsible for all plumbing infrastructure between the water meter at the boundary and any houses connected to that meter. This means that maintenance, repairs, and costs for the shared plumbing system are a joint responsibility among all connected properties.

What happens if there is a leak?

If there is a leak in the shared plumbing you will need to work with your neighbours to:

  • identify and locate the leak
  • arrange for repairs to be carried out
  • share the costs of repair work.

We recommend establishing good communication with your neighbours and agreeing on a process for handling maintenance issues before they arise.

We cannot provide you with an accurate indication of your individual water use if you share a water meter. The meter records total consumption for all connected properties combined.

Check meters

If you would like more control over your water supply and accurate monitoring of your individual usage, you can install a check meter at your property boundary. We will supply the check meter to you (or your plumber) at no cost.

You will be responsible for:

  • any plumbing work required to connect the check meter to your shared supply
  • arranging and paying for a plumber to complete the installation.
  • Even after a check meter is installed, all properties sharing a meter will remain responsible for maintenance of pipework between that meter and private boundaries.

The check meter remains the property of the Council:

  • We will read your check meter (and give you updates on water use or any potential leak).
  • We will maintain your check meter.

Benefits of a check meter

  • See your exact water usage – know precisely how much water your property is consuming.
  • Identify leaks faster – if a leak is flagged on the shared meter, you can quickly determine whether it's on your property or not.
  • Greater peace of mind – monitor and control your water consumption independently

You can apply for a check meter to be installed if:

  • Your property shares a water connection, and a single meter, with one more rateable property. You will not qualify for a Council-owned check meter if you own a property and want check meters for individual tenancies.
  • You have water pipes up to 32mm diameter (most residential properties). Pipes larger than this require a larger commercial meter.
  • You are the owner of the property

To apply for a check meter, contact the Council customer service centre on 06 370 6300.

You will need to provide:

  • your contact and property information
  • the name of the plumber that you will be using
  • the meter number of your shared water meter (normally under the blue lid on the footpath or on the entrance of a shared driveway).

What happens next:

  • We will let you know if you are eligible for a check meter
  • Your plumber will carry out the required works to install the manifold (the box that contains the meter). This will require the water to be shut off to all properties that share the meter.
  • We will inspect the work and install the check meter.
  • We will read and maintain your check meter.

If you would like even more control over your water supply, including the ability to isolate your water, you can contact us about installing an individual meter.

The individual meter would be installed at the closest point where council land meets private property (normally a footpath) – this may be at your property boundary, or a neighbouring property.

You will be responsible for all plumbing infrastructure required to connect from the individual meter to your house, including installation costs and any agreement required where work has to be undertaken on land that is owned by others (i.e. a shared driveway or easement).

  • An individual meter gives you complete independence, allowing you to shut off your water supply when needed, without affecting your neighbours.
  • Installation of an individual meter is likely to involve more costly changes to pipework than installation of a check meter.

Entry of staff onto properties

Council staff and staff from our contractor City Care are visiting properties in Masterton to read, inspect, and check water meters.

Some visits are to check water meters are working properly or confirm that meters are indicating leaks – leaks will cost money when charging using meters begins.

The Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw allows Council and City Care staff to access private property, without notice, between 7.30am and 6pm, to read meters. When possible, notice of visits will be given for checking, testing, and maintenance work.

Householders and property owners can ask for identification for anyone on the property and can ring the Council on 06 370 6300, 9am - 4pm Monday to Friday, to check if staff are authorised to be acting on behalf of the Council.

Abuse of staff undertaking Council business will not be tolerated – this work is being done for the benefit of householders and property owners, and to conserve precious water resources.

How to check your meter

To check your meter is working, open the lid of the blue box on the street and flip up the lid on top of the meter. You’ll see a small screen with a row of numbers like the mileage in your car. The number on the far right-hand side represents one litre of water.

If you have turned off all taps on your property (including outside taps), and the numbers on the meter are still moving you may be on a shared supply (with more than one property receiving water from that meter) or you may have a leak. The first thing to do is give us a call so we can make sure the meter is working properly.

Tracking down a leak

If you have turned off all the inside and outside taps at your property and your water meter is still ticking over, it is likely you have a leak - but where?

You may need a plumber to find and fix a leak, but here are a few things you can check yourself, without any cost:

Inside

  • Toilet – is your toilet cistern constantly trickling into the toilet bowl? It may not be a leak on to the floor, but the ball valve assembly may be faulty and constantly filling, without stopping. All that water is being lost down the toilet and over time can really mount up.
  • Dripping taps – these may only seem occasional drips but multiply a drip a second by an hour, a day, a week… and the volume can get big fast.
  • Hot water cylinder – check under your water cylinder for signs of water. Over time, they can also develop leaks.
  • Washing machine, dishwasher – these can also leak – check the connections (they may be under a bench and out of sight).
  • Leaks in the walls – when you’re lying awake at night, can you hear the hiss of running water? It could mean a leak behind a wall.
  • Try to isolate the sound
  • There could be a damp spot on the wall leading to lifting wallpaper or flaky paint.

Outside

  • Outside taps - check dripping outside taps that can often go unnoticed.
  • Paths – persistent damps spots or puddles on paths or driveways when there has been no recent rain may indicate a leak in your water pipe under the ground.
  • Lawns – a patch of lawn that remains persistently greener than the surrounds may be the result of an underground leak.
  • If the area around your water meter – under the blue lid on the pavement – has persistent water, it may also be the sign of a leak in the meter or its connections.

Understanding water use

A typical household of four uses around 600-800 litres (0.6–0.8 kilolitres) per day. If you're using more than 1000 litres (1 kilolitre) per day, it's worth checking for leaks.

Everyday Water Comparisons

Item or Activity

Approximate Volume

Kitchen jug

1 litre

Household bucket

10 litres

Toilet flush

3–6 litres

Washing machine (per load)

50 litres

8-minute shower

70 litres

Bathtub

150–200 litres

Spa pool

1,000–1,200 litres

Small swimming pool

10,000 litres

Large swimming pool

30,000–50,000 litres


Your Daily Usage: What It Means

Daily Usage Range

What That Means

1–5 kL/day

You're using more than 1,000 litres per day — over 100 buckets. Check for leaks or taps left running.

6–20 kL/day

Equivalent to 3–10 bathtubs per hour. This is high for a home — check irrigation or appliance usage.

21–50 kL/day

Enough to fill a small swimming pool daily. Irrigation systems or pipe leaks may be the cause.

51–100 kL/day

You're using the same volume as a backyard pool — every day. Urgent checks are recommended.

101–137 kL/day

That's over 100,000 litres daily — like 10 water tankers. You should investigate immediately.

Water meters were first raised as part of the 2015 Long-Term Plan process. In the Long Term Plan consultation in 2018, 56 per cent of respondents supported installing water meters on all residential properties that are connected to the urban water supply. Based on results in other districts, installing water meters could reduce water loss from leaks by up to 30 per cent, and reduce demand by 20 per cent.

Council has deferred the start of charging for water using water meters, originally scheduled to begin on 1 July 2025.

This follows analysis of monthly usage data collected from meters which highlighted some cases of exceptionally high usage. It is not clear if this is the result of leaks or genuine usage.

Allowing more time to remedy leaks will enable property owners to get a more accurate view of their usage. Following potential significant leaks being fixed, the Council will need to recalculate the revenue required to cover the costs of supplying water to the community based on the revised use data.

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