Two hundred Hamilton East households will receive water meters within weeks as part of a three-month pilot programme testing different meter technologies and usage tracking apps before any citywide rollout decision.
The volunteer households, selected from hundreds who responded to IAWAI's call for participants, will be the first residential properties in Hamilton to have water meters installed. They'll access an app to track their daily water usage but won't receive separate water bills during the trial period.
"Before we commit to anything, we want complete confidence in the process, the technology, the benefits and the costs," said Kevin Lavery, executive chair of IAWAI, the water company jointly owned by Hamilton City and Waikato District councils.
Testing technology and household habits
IAWAI selected Hamilton East for its older infrastructure, which will help test potential retrofit costs across the city. The pilot will evaluate different meter brands, data communication systems and software platforms while gathering information about household water use patterns.
Hamilton households currently use 1.5 times more water than households in Tauranga, which has had meters since 1999. The city's 60,000 water users pay for water services based on their property's capital value, while more than 4,000 commercial properties already have meters installed.
"This is really a data gathering exercise before any final decisions are made," said Andrew Parsons, IAWAI head of strategy and delivery. "It's also a chance to hear from householders on what works and what doesn't and what further information they may need."
The participating households range from student flats to large families, providing diverse data on water consumption patterns across different household types.
Part of broader water management strategy
The pilot comes as Hamilton faces increasing pressure to manage water demand and protect the Waikato River. The city's resource consent to take water from the river expires in 2044, and water metering may become a requirement for renewal. "<p>\"Hamilton East is the perfect place for this trial because it's one of the city's older suburbs, which presents some unique challenges underground,\" Parsons said. Unlike Hamilton residents, households in neighbouring Waikato District have had water meters for years. IAWAI, which will take full operational control of water services from July 2026, plans to invest $3.3 billion in water infrastructure over the next decade and will manage 90,700 water connections.</p>"
Waikato-Tainui has expressed support for water metering as part of their environmental plan to protect the Waikato River.
"Water meters can change how people think about water," Lavery said. "It's a big change, but it's about fairness, sustainability and protecting our awa for the next generation."
Hamilton East is the perfect place for this trial because it's one of the city's older suburbs, which presents some unique challenges underground.
The three-month trial will provide crucial data before any decisions about extending water metering to Hamilton's remaining residential properties. IAWAI has not announced specific dates for meter installations but confirmed they will begin within weeks of the 18 March announcement.
