Ko te wai te ora o ngā mea katoa – water is the life-giver of all things
This whakatauki was gifted to the Waiāri Water Supply Scheme and endorsed by Tapuika Koroua Tuhourangi Teia Williams and Rereamanu Wihapi, and is a reminder to us all how precious the water from Waiāri Stream is.
The Waiāri Water Supply Scheme officially opened in March 2023 and is a state-of-the-art water treatment facility. The new treatment plant will help meet our water demands for at least the next 30 years and will mainly service the Pāpāmoa Mount Maunganui coastal strip and Te Tumu growth areas.
We are committed to honouring iwi relationships with the river and to caring for this taonga tuku iho (treasure) for future generations. We are working together with mana whenua on ecological monitoring, cultural recognition, vegetation re-establishment and restoration, and educational programmes. Using a Mauri Model, developed in partnership with local iwi, the mauri ora (life essence) of the surrounding ecosystem is measured. It is important the plants and fish that live in these streams aren’t impacted by the amount of water we are taking.
The Waiāri plant uses microfiltration to treat the water which is then chlorinated to keep the water safe on its journey to the consumers tap. The plant can currently produce up to 15 million litres per day and this volume will increase slowly over time as supporting infrastructure is built and water demand and population grows. Iwi relationships with the river, water quality and quantity, and ecosystem health are important in our plans for increasing water supply to the coastal strip.
Water currently flows from the Waiāri Water Supply Scheme through around 22 kilometres of underground pipelines. The pipeline starts at 376 No. 1 Road, Te Puke and runs down No. 1 Road, through Lawrence Oliver Park, across private property and out to the Poplar Lane reservoir. Underground pipes from there carry the water along the Te Puke highway and Welcome Bay Road to the Eastern reservoir at R942 Welcome Bay Road.
While this new treatment plant eases pressure on Tauranga’s water supply, we must still carefully manage this resource sustainably. Our Water Watchers Plan provides clear advice for how we can all sustainably manage our water use.