Water tankers in the Tasman district were left livid over an unanticipated rise in water charges during local water restrictions and high demand for their service.
A Tasman district water tanker, who wished to remain anonymous, says a fellow district tanker got the “shock of his life” when he discovered his water bill, which he went to pay on 20 December, had doubled since the previous invoice in June from about $6000 to about $12,000.
The tanker says the second tanker had inquired to Tasman District Council (TDC) in August about the Motueka bulk filling station charges after council encouraged tankers to refill at that location.
TDC replied saying there would be no price increase, and it would remain at $3.16 per cubic metre.
“At the moment all the water operators are under the pump, we’ve got a fortnight worth of bookings, we’ve got people ringing up that are out of water, so we have emergency deliveries to do… and all of a sudden [TDC] decide to double our water rate, I don’t think that’s fair,” the first tanker says.
“I just want to try and give good value to my clients, we have to now pass [the extra costs] on to the client, every load I do I have to charge the client an extra $50.”
The first tanker says he and other water tank operators had also felt the pinch with road user charges and diesel prices.
He says tankers water collection was also restricted to just Motueka, since the area doesn’t fall under the urban water supply network affected by the current Phase D water restrictions, which came into effect on 22 December, following Phase B on 13 December.
Under Phase D, Tasman residents are banned from watering lawns, flowers, trees and planters, and can’t fill or top up pools, spas, water features, or use water for play.
“Logistically and cost wise we are struggling to cart water such a long way,” he says.
“We do understand that under water restrictions we are limited to where we can take water… but this year the water restrictions are coming in a lot earlier… so this is the most extreme summer I have had in ten years of operating.”
TDC community infrastructure waters and wastes manager, Mike Schruer, says council takes responsibility for the error that was made in its response to the Motueka bulk filling station charges email inquiry.
“Several queries have come to us in relation to the rate increase, but they all stem from the initial mistake via email to one customer… the charge quoted was $3.16 [per cubic metre] rather than the correct figure of $6.32 [per cubic metre],” he says.
“We accept the mistake and will honour charging of the unit rate of $3.16 [per cubic metre] for water taken from the Richmond and Motueka bulk filling stations from 1 July 2023 through to 31 December 2023.
“From 1 January 2024, all water taken from the bulk filling stations in Richmond, Motueka and Wakefield [when it has been installed and becomes operational] will be charged at the correct rate of ‘double the current urban water rate’ $6.32 [per cubic metre] for the 2023/24 financial year.”
