Auckland water prices to rise 9.5% from July

Aucklanders will have to pay more for their water and wastewater services from July as provider Watercare locks in a 9.5% price increase.

The organisation says it is sticking to the price path it communicated in 2021, despite facing "significant challenges" such as high inflation and extreme weather events.

Watercare chief executive Dave Chambers said the organisation has focused on reducing its controllable costs and finding efficiencies as a result.

"Over the past year, we’ve focused heavily on reducing our controllable costs. Without this work, we would have been looking at a price increase of 10.7%, so it's thanks to this drive to find efficiencies that we can keep the increase to 9.5%," he said in a statement.

"One of the ways we've made savings is by reducing our overall headcount through attrition. We've gone from having 1255 full-time equivalent staff in June 2022, to 1198 in January 2023.

"However, we know many people are facing financial strain, so it's important to us to keep price increases as low as possible. This is why we're sticking with the price path we communicated in 2021 as part of Auckland Council's Long-Term Plan."

The change will come into effect from July 1, 2023.

He said households with average water use will pay about $2.20 more per week and encourages customers struggling to pay their bills to contact Watercare for assistance.

"The price for 1000 litres of water will go from $1.825 to $1.998, while 1000 litres of wastewater will go from $3.174 to $3.476. The fixed wastewater charge will go from $264 a year to $289," he said.

The price increase will also affect infrastructure growth charges, which will rise by 8%.

Watercare said the price hike is necessary to help fund its capital programme.

In the next financial year, the organisation will spend more than $1 billion on infrastructure projects that cater for growth in usage, and to replace ageing assets.

More on this topic

Rates will rise if Auckland stops work on Three Waters - Ardern

The Prime Minister is set to meet Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, who yesterday asked Watercare to stop work on the Three Waters project.

Politics

October 18, 2022

1:00

Auckland, Christchurch mayors join forces with Three Waters battle plan

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown and Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger say the key government plank has failed at achieving political consensus.

Environment

October 31, 2022

0:52

"These include completing a new 45-million-litre water storage reservoir at Redoubt Road, which significantly boosts our water supply resilience," the organisation said.

"And continuing to tunnel our Central Interceptor wastewater pipe between central Auckland and our Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant."