A council has finally backed down after a woman with kidney failure was hit with a large water bill for her life-saving dialysis treatment.
Claire Christie uses a haemodialysis machine at her Christchurch home four times a week to clean her blood, performing the job her kidneys can no longer do.
She argued she should not be financially penalised for using large amounts of water for vital treatment. But Selwyn Council took months to agree before finally giving her a substantial reduction.
"It's not an exaggeration to say it's a life-saving treatment," Christie said. "If it wasn't for this, there's a good chance that I would have died in a week."
But the treatment requires large quantities of water. Christie said her dialysis machine uses about 100 litres every hour.
The cost became an issue after she recently moved to a new home outside Christchurch, where her water supply comes under Selwyn District Council.
Claire Christie uses a haemodialysis machine at her home four times a week. (Source: 1News)
"Your water is separate to your rates out here, so we got a water bill that was quite significantly expensive," she said.
The family's water bill was more than $600 for the quarter.
Christie, whose kidneys failed when she was 17, contacted the council to argue that her medical circumstances should be taken into account.
"I rang them and I said, look, it's not fair that I am medically dependent on water. I cannot help it because this machine uses 100 litres every hour."
Varies between councils
Kidney Health New Zealand said the issue can affect other dialysis patients, with water charging varying between councils.
General manager Madi Keay said home dialysis was essential treatment that could not simply be reduced to save money.
"It's something that cannot be delayed or shortened. It's essential to staying alive.
"So if people couldn't afford to continue dialysing at home, they would need to opt to dialyse in a hospital."
Keay said hospital dialysis units were already "incredibly overstretched".
After months of discussions, Christie said her family secured a 50% reduction in their water bill, bringing the cost "right back down".
Selwyn Water said it had a waivers and remissions policy for customers with qualifying medical needs.
"Claire's remission was assessed under that policy and is ongoing," it said in a statement. "We apologise to Claire for the delay."
Christie said she was grateful the issue had been resolved but hoped other dialysis patients would also receive support.
"I'm grateful that they have now listened and I really hope that a really supportive plan is put in place for all patients."
Selwyn Water said customers could apply for assistance, with applications assessed under its policy.
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