All properties on township drinking water supplies, namely Twizel, Tekapo, Burkes Pass and Fairlie, will receive water invoices (those with water meters installed). Water meters are being progressively installed. This information does not apply to users on other water schemes such as the Downlands, Allandale, and Albury schemes.
The first 500 cubic metres of water used each year by each household is covered by the water rate which is part of the annual rates for the property. Households are able to consume as much water as they require, however additional charges apply once the 500 cubic metre threshold has been exceeded.
The majority of households use less than 500 cubic metres of water each year, and in this case the invoice will have no charge.
Below is some information which may be useful. If you have questions which are not answered here, please give us a call on 03 685 9010 or email us at info@mackenzie.govt.nz
The first 500 cubic metres water (per year) is covered by your rates bill.
The first 500 cubic metres of water used each year by each household is covered by the water rate which is part of the annual rates for the property. Additional charges apply if this amount has been exceeded.
How is water usage calculated?
Council is progressively installing meters which measure the amount of water used by individual households. This allows council to calculate the amount of water a household uses over a period of time, similar to the way your electricity provider calculates your electricity consumption.
What happens if a household uses more than 500 cubic metres in a year?
Households who use more than 500 cubic metres per year are charged an additional fee for each cubic metre of water used over that threshold. A cubic metre of water is 1,000 litres. The current charge is $2.30 (inclusive of GST) for every cubic metre.
When does the ‘year’ start for water billing purposes?
Council’s financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June. Water-use balances are reset to zero at 1 July each year.
How often are invoices sent out?
Quarterly. Water invoicing commenced in quarter 2 of the 2025/26 financial year. You can expect to receive invoices in the month following the end of the preceding quarter i.e. October, January, April and July.
My usage falls under the threshold, but I have received an invoice.
All households will receive a water invoice quarterly. If you have used less than 500 cubic metres in the current financial year, there will be no charge. The invoice will show your water usage, allowing you to estimate how much water you are likely to use in a year.
Please see some helpful tips in the Water Conservation section of the website.
FAQ
As part of the Annual plan 2025/26 Councillors made the decision to lower the household drinking water threshold from 700 cubic metres to 500 cubic metres per year. They also decided to set the excess water use charge to $2.30 per cubic metres once the household goes over the 500 cubic metre threshold.
This decision was made to keep the rates required for providing drinking water as low as possible and to move to a more user-pays approach for households that use more than 500 cubic metres.
No. Households can use up to 500 cubic metres of water in a financial year (1 July to 30 June) before charges apply. Water-use balances are reset to zero at 1 July each year.
Councillors set the threshold through Council’s Long Term and Annual Planning processes and any proposed changes to either the threshold or the charge for additional consumption would require consultation before adoption.
All properties on township drinking water supplies, namely Twizel, Tekapo, Burkes Pass and Fairlie. Different arrangements are in place for users on other water schemes such as Downlands, Allandale, and Albury.
The first 500 cubic metres of water used by each household is covered by the water rate which is part of the annual rates for the property. Households are able to consume as much water as they require, however additional charges apply once the 500 cubic metre threshold has been exceeded.
The majority of households use less than 500 cubic metres of water each year, and so the invoice will have no charge.
All households will receive a water invoice quarterly. If you have not used more than 500 cubic metres, there will be no charge. The invoice will show your water usage, allowing you to estimate how much water you are likely to use in a year.
Householders can also read their own meters – please see the page on Water Meters for more information.
Please see some helpful tips in the ‘Water Conservation’ section of the website.
No. Households are able to consume as much water as they require, however additional charges apply once the 500 cubic metre threshold has been exceeded.
The consultation documents about these changes to the water supply threshold and the excess charge are still available to the public on our Let's Talk page. On this page there are also links to the draft Fees & Charges.
After consultation the Elected Members held a deliberation meeting on 17 June.
The agenda, including the submissions received, is available here.
The Annual Plan, which includes the final decisions on water usage threshold, and the Fees & Charges, was adopted at a council meeting on 30 June 2025. The agenda and minutes are available here.
The outcome was communicated to the public through various channels, starting with the July 2025 edition of our News & Information newsletter.