Porirua

Key dates for property owners in the Porirua City council area:

First water services bill distribution date: 3 August (you may receive it on a different date depending on whether you receive it by post or email)
Payment due date: 1 September

The options for paying your water services bill will be:

direct debit – giving Tiaki Wai authority to deduct bill payments directly from your account (you are able to set this up now)
automatic payments - set up an automatic payment of an amount and frequency you choose
online banking - pay your Tiaki Wai bill manually from your bank account
phone banking - pay your Tiaki Wai bill over the phone from your bank account
over the counter – pay at NZ Post stores that offer ‘pay a bill’ services

Download 'A guide to your first water services bill from Tiaki Wai' brochure

Tiaki Wai account numbers

Each property will be allocated a unique Tiaki Wai water service account number, shown on the water service bill. This account number must be used when making payment, to make sure payments are allocated to the correct property.

Tiaki Wai water service account numbers will be different to council rate account numbers or property valuation numbers.

Properties with an existing water meter that receive metered water bills from council will also be allocated a water usage account number. This will be different to the council metered water account number reference.

Properties with water meters – important information

Currently, water meters are mostly connected to commercial properties or larger residential properties such as apartment blocks. There is a very small number of individual residential properties with a meter.

Properties with a water meter will receive two Tiaki Wai bills:

one water services bill covering drinking water supply, wastewater and stormwater (which all properties will receive) that will arrive once every three months.
one bill for metered water usage (based on your meter reading) that will arrive at the same frequency you currently receive this bill from council.

You can expect to be billed by your council for your water usage up to 30 June 2026 based on either an actual or estimated reading.

Your water services bill and your water usage bill will have different Tiaki Wai account numbers. You can choose a different payment option for each type of bill.

If you’re unsure about whether you have a water meter, please contact your council directly.

Download 'A guide to your first water usage bill from Tiaki Wai' brochure

Ways to pay

Direct debits

How direct debits work

A direct debit gives Tiaki Wai authority to deduct payment for your water services bill from your bank account. About 50 percent of ratepayers use this method to pay their rates.

Setting up a direct debit is a way to stay on top of your water services payments and spread the cost over time. Instead of paying your quarterly invoice in one lump sum, you can choose to make weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments towards your total annualised bill, or pay your invoice in full on the due date.

The first quarterly Tiaki Wai bill is due on 1 September. If you set up a direct debit before then, you won't need to make a separate payment by the invoice due date. Your regular direct debit payments will begin on the date you specify, which must be at least five days after you submit the form. Sign up for direct debit as early as possible to maximise the benefit of spreading your payments over a longer period

If you choose to pay by another method, you'll need to pay each quarterly invoice in full by the due date.

If you want to pay for your water services bills by direct debit, you will need to set up a new direct debit with Tiaki Wai. Any existing direct debit arrangement you have for your council rates won't transfer to your water services account. A separate direct debit authority is required for each property.

How to set up your direct debit

You'll find a link to download the form underneath the guidance below.

Direct debit form guidance

Have your rates bill to hand: You will be asked to include property information, because you won’t yet have your Tiaki Wai account number. Complete one form per property.
Enter your contact information: We need to be able to contact you to confirm arrangements.
Enter your preferred payment frequency: You can choose weekly, fortnightly, monthly or in full on the due date. For weekly, fortnightly, or monthly direct debits, you can leave the amount field blank on the form. We will calculate the correct amount for the payments and confirm it with you. Before any payments are deducted, you will be advised by email of the amount that will be deducted, and the date the transaction will happen (note that this cannot be earlier than 10 August - see below).
Enter your preferred start date: Please ensure the start date is at least five working days from the date you submit your direct debit form.
Enter your bank account details and sign the Direct Debit Authority: This information has to be shared with your bank but will be managed in line with the Privacy Act 2020. See the Porirua City Council privacy statement.
Email your completed form: to the address on the form, enquiries@tiakiwai.poriruacity.govt.nz. You can also post a hard copy to PO Box 38320, Wellington Mail Centre, Lower Hutt 5045.

Next steps:
You will receive an email acknowledgement of receipt of your direct debit form, and you will then receive a separate acknowledgement email that your direct debit has been set up within 15 working days. This is why you need to include your email address on the form.

Download the direct debit form

Read our direct debit terms and conditions.

To pay future invoices by direct debit, complete and return the form as soon as possible to allow time for processing.

Automatic payments

You can pay your Tiaki Wai bills by setting up an automatic payment through your bank.

To get started, contact your bank or use online, mobile, phone banking, or visit a branch. Tiaki Wai cannot set up automatic payments on your behalf.

Choose a payment amount and frequency that will ensure your invoice is paid in full by the due date.

Tiaki Wai issues four water services invoices each year, with each invoice usually for the same amount. Your annual water charges are shown on page two of your invoice and can help you calculate an ongoing payment amount.

For your first invoice, the payment period is shorter, so you may need to make higher payments to pay it in full. Many customers find it easier to keep their automatic payments running throughout the year and spread the cost between invoices.

Example

Your invoice shows:

Annual water charges: $2,017.08
Current water services invoice: $504.27

If your first invoice is due in 4 weeks, you could pay:

$126.07 each week for 4 weeks; or
$252.14 each fortnight for 2 fortnights.

After your first invoice is paid, you have about three months until the next invoice. You could continue making regular payments such as:

$38.79 weekly
$77.58 fortnightly
$168.09 monthly

By continuing these payments, your next invoice of $504.27 will be paid by the due date.

Important

Make sure your payment amount is enough to pay your invoice in full by the due date.
Any unpaid balance after the due date will become overdue.
If your account becomes overdue, we'll send reminders about the outstanding balance.
Unpaid overdue balances may be referred to debt collection in line with our debt management process.
If your automatic payments exceed your annual charges, this surplus will be carried forward as credit in the following year.

Online banking

You can pay your Tiaki Wai bill directly through your bank’s online banking service. To do this, from 1 July, you’ll be able to go into your online banking account and set up Tiaki Wai as a payee.

For your water services bill (the one everyone receives), the registered payee is: Tiaki Wai Porirua– Water Services

The bank account number should automatically appear. If you have a meter, you will have to set up a different payee: Tiaki Wai Porirua– Water Usage

When making payments, please use your water services account number/s (shown on your bill) as the payment reference. Once you’ve set up Tiaki Wai as a payee, you can make one-off payments through online banking (i.e., pay your bill in full), or automatic payments to spread the cost of your bill over time (making sure the total amount of your bill is paid by the due date).

Manual bill payments
If you prefer to manually set up your bill payments rather than use the registered payee option, use the bank account numbers below.

Make sure ‘Tiaki Wai’ is spelled correctly and double check you have entered the right account number for your property’s council area.

Include your water service account number as reference and your name as particulars.

If paying from overseas, you may also need to provide your bank with the relevant account and international identifier details (eg SWIFT/BIC). Please contact your bank if you need further information.

Bank account details

City	Bank Account Name	Account Number	SWIFT / BIC
Wellington	Tiaki Wai	01-1839-0959190-01	ANZBNZ22
Porirua	Tiaki Wai	01-1839-0959190-02	ANZBNZ22
Hutt City	Tiaki Wai	01-1839-0959190-03	ANZBNZ22
Upper Hutt	Tiaki Wai	01-1839-0959190-04	ANZBNZ22

Phone banking

If paying over the phone is your preferred payment method, contact your bank to set this up.

Your first Tiaki Wai invoice will include all the details that your bank will need to process your payment. Make sure you have your invoice handy when contacting them

Over the counter at NZ Post

You can pay your Tiaki Wai bill over the counter at NZ Post stores offering in-store services. Bring your Tiaki Wai bill and pay using cash, EFTPOS, debit card, or credit card. (Please note that credit card, and contactless transactions made at NZ Post stores may incur a payWave surcharge. If you are using a debit card this surcharge can be avoided by swiping or inserting the card.)

To find the NZ Post store offering in-store services that’s most convenient to you::

Visit this page on their website: https://www.nzpost.co.nz/tools/find-nz-post
Enter your postcode, city or suburb or address in the text box
Filter your search by ‘Pay a bill’
The relevant stores will be listed.

FAQs

Is there support available for people having trouble paying their bill?

If you’re having trouble paying your Tiaki Wai water services bill, you’re not alone and you won’t be penalised for asking for support. Visit the hardship support webpage for more information.
Why am I paying for water?

Your water services bill pays for the infrastructure that supplies the water, not the water itself.

Your water services bill covers costs for the infrastructure networks that supply clean water to your property that’s safe to drink, remove wastewater from your sinks and toilets, and take away the stormwater from your downpipes and the streets and other public areas.

Before Tiaki Wai was set up, property owners were already paying for water services through council rates. Now, water services charges have been removed from your council rates bills and are being billed separately by Tiaki Wai. Your Tiaki Wai bill is separate, not on top of your council rates. You will not be charged for water services twice.

Property owners are now responsible for paying the cost of water services directly to Tiaki Wai, rather than through council rates.
Why are Tiaki Wai water services invoices due before the end of the billing period?

For the first year, councils are providing billing services on behalf of Tiaki Wai using their existing systems and payment cycles. This means quarterly Tiaki Wai invoices are aligned with council rates cycles, with payment due at the beginning of the last month of each three-month billing period.

There will be opportunities to review and refine these arrangements as Tiaki Wai establishes its own billing capability in future years.

Each quarterly invoice covers water services for the full three-month period. By the time you receive it, services have already been provided for part of the period, with services continuing through the remainder of the period. The due date helps ensure these essential services can continue to be delivered to our communities without interruption.

If you prefer to spread your payments over time rather than pay the full amount on the due date, you can set up a direct debit and pay by weekly, fortnightly, or monthly instalments. Property owners in Lower Hutt can set up direct debit arrangements using Payble.
How does Tiaki Wai calculate water charges?

For the year (2026/27), Tiaki Wai water services charges are calculated in a similar way to how councils calculated them previously, using a mix of fixed charges and charges based on the capital value of your property. This means that current charging arrangements vary from city to city.

Charging only relates to water usage if a property already has an existing water meter that was previously billed by council.

For more information on how charges are currently calculated, visit this webpage.

The long-term goal is to ensure water services charges are consistent for similar properties using comparable services, regardless of location, promoting fairness and equity in charging across the region.

Switching to more consistent pricing or ‘harmonisation’ is not as simple as moving everyone to a single regional price average. It will take several years to work through the issues.

How and when this transition to a harmonised approach takes place will be analysed and consulted on through the 2027-37 Water Services Strategy.

In the future, the installation of residential water meters will allow charging to reflect water usage, but this is several years away.
I have a water meter and pay for the water I use. Now that Tiaki Wai is charging for water services, what changes will I see in billing?

You will receive separate water usage invoices for your metered water on the same frequency that you received them from your council.

You will also need to pay Tiaki Wai separately for other water service-related charges that were previously part of your council rates bill (eg, wastewater and stormwater). This means that you will get three separate bills: one for non-water related rates from your council, one for water services from Tiaki Wai, and one for volumetric water charges, also from Tiaki Wai.
If water services charges are no longer included in council rates, has my council rates bill gone down?

There will be a reduction in your council rates bill due to water charges being removed and charged separately. However, this does not mean overall household costs will reduce, as water charges, and rates for some councils, have increased since last year.
Am I paying more for water services now than I was paying when they were included in council rates?

Water services charges have increased since they separated from council rates. This is to meet the costs of making essential upgrades to existing infrastructure and investing in a more sustainable future of water services.

Charges for water services vary from property to property. Across all council areas, the average increase for water services this year for residential properties without a water meter is around $5.40 a week.

Future cost increases are around a third less than increases likely if councils had continued to be responsible for water services, because of greater borrowing capacity and efficiency gains, but will still present a challenge for many households.

The exact amount to be charged each year will depend on the pace of delivering maintenance and upgrades, and the level of cost recovery from new developments.

If you’re struggling to pay your water services bill, Tiaki Wai has support available for residential customers facing genuine financial hardship.
How do I pay my water services bill?

You can pay your bill by direct debit, online banking, phone banking, or over the counter at NZ Post stores that offer bill-payment services.

Customers in Lower Hutt can set up direct debit arrangements via online platform Payble.

If you’d like to spread your payments over time, you will need to set up a new direct debit authority at least five days before the due date of your first invoice (1 September).

You can find information on ways to pay your water services invoices on our billing page.

There will be no change to how you pay your council rates, for example if you have a current direct debit authority for your council rates, that will continue.
Can I set up direct debit payments to pay water services charges?

Yes. Click on your city below for details on paying, including setting up direct debits. If you have property in more than one city, you will need to set up arrangements for each separately.

Wellington

Lower Hutt

Porirua

Upper Hutt
I receive a rebate for my council rates. Does this also apply to my Tiaki Wai water services charges?
The rates rebate scheme is operated by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) and administered by councils on behalf of DIA.

The rates rebate scheme has been extended to include both rates and water charges to work out how much you might get as a council rates rebate.

Your council will continue to administer the rates rebate scheme and will include your Tiaki Wai water charges when calculating your total rates payable. This means your water charges may help you qualify for a rebate or increase the amount you receive.

Any approved rebate will be applied to your council rates account only. The rebate cannot be applied directly to your Tiaki Wai account, therefore, your Tiaki Wai invoice remains payable in full by the due date shown on the invoice.

Please refer to the Department of Internal Affairs website for further information about rates rebates and details about how to apply.

Completed applications should be sent to your Council:
Will I receive water services charges if my property is not connected to public water services networks?

This depends on the type of water service and where your property is located.

If your property is not connected to the public wastewater network, you won't be charged for wastewater services.

If your property is not connected to the public water supply network, you may still need to pay a reduced water supply charge if your property can be connected to the public water supply. This reflects that the network is available to service your property.

You may also need to pay stormwater charges if your property is within a stormwater service area, even if it is not connected to the public water supply or wastewater networks. Stormwater charges help fund the public stormwater network that manages rainwater runoff across urban areas.

Most rural properties that are not connected to the water services network will not receive any water services charges.

There are a small number of semi-rural developments that are serviced by the stormwater network but are not connected to the water supply and wastewater network. These properties are charged for stormwater services only.
Who is responsible for paying the Tiaki Wai bill for a rental property?

The property owner (landlord) receives the invoices for water charges from Tiaki Wai and is responsible for paying. A landlord may seek reimbursement from tenants for metered water charges, but not for any other water services charges.

The Tenancy Services website has information about who is responsible for paying water services charges.

Tenants should have a discussion with their landlord if they are interested in how water service costs are factored into rent.
Why do water services charges have to increase?

Charges need to rise because the region’s water infrastructure has been under-funded for decades and now requires major work. Between $5.7 and $8.2 billion dollars is needed over 10 years to replace aging pipes, meet modern standards, and support growth. Without higher charges, essential work won’t be able to be done.
What is the story with rural properties and stormwater charges?

Stormwater charges apply only to properties within designated urban stormwater service areas in Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt.

Properties outside these urban stormwater service areas are generally considered rural and typically rely on natural drainage rather than public stormwater networks. As a result, they are not charged by Tiaki Wai for stormwater services.

For the 2026/27 year, rural properties located outside a stormwater service area are not charged stormwater fees by Tiaki Wai, even if stormwater costs were previously included as part of council rates. Charges are based on the public stormwater services available to and benefiting each property.
Will Tiaki Wai charge development contributions for water, wastewater and stormwater services?

Yes, Tiaki Wai will continue to charge development contributions. Tiaki Wai has adopted the relevant parts of each Council’s previous Development Contributions Policy and incorporated them into its own Development Contributions Policy, available here
Development Contributions Policy ›
Why have I received a water services bill for my carpark / vacant land?

Even if your car park or vacant lot does not have a water or wastewater connection, you may still receive a stormwater services charge if it is located within an area served by a stormwater network.

All property that is a ‘rateable unit’ within a council’s rating system incur water services charges if the property is either connected to the water supply or wastewater services network, and/or within a stormwater service zone. If your carpark has a separate title (for example in an apartment building or unit titled carpark building), you will receive a separate water services invoice for the car park, as you do for rates on that property from your council.

This is not a new charge. These types of property were incurring water services charges previously as part of council rates. For customers in Hutt or Porirua City, those charges were incorporated into your general rates. Wellington and Upper Hutt customers will have previously seen this charge as a targeted rate on their council rates invoice.

Property owners are paying for the shared community stormwater infrastructure rather than specific stormwater infrastructure servicing their property. Tiaki Wai stormwater charges go towards the maintenance and improvement of the piped stormwater network that serves the whole community, including underground pipes, drains, detention tanks, culverts, and stormwater pump stations that carry rainwater away from streets and public areas as well as from individual properties. Even if there isn’t a public asset directly connected to, or outside, your property, it benefits from the wider network, and these costs are shared cross the neighbourhood.
Did I pay for water services before Tiaki Wai?

Yes. Before 1 July 2026, water services were included as part of council rates. After 1 July, when Tiaki Wai took over responsibility of water services, these charges were removed from council rates and billed by Tiaki Wai. Council rates reduced to reflect the removal of water charges.
What does my water services bill pay for?

Your water services bill covers costs for the infrastructure networks that supply clean water to your property that’s safe to drink, remove wastewater from your sinks and toilets, and take away the stormwater from your downpipes and the streets and other public areas.

This includes the day-to-day operation and maintenance of pipes, pump stations, drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, and associated infrastructure. Water services charges also fund long-term investments in renewals, upgrades, and new infrastructure to help with leak reduction, improved wastewater treatment, and the resilience of the network.

Your water services bill pays for the infrastructure that supplies the water, not the water itself.
Why don’t Hutt City invoices show the full annual charge for water services?

For this first year of Tiaki Wai, we are using the four councils to provide water services billing on our behalf. This means invoices reflect the way each council delivers water services billing.

Hutt City Council’s water services billing process generates each quarterly invoice separately. Unlike its rates billing process, it does not calculate or record the four quarterly charges as a single annual amount. This is why your Tiaki Wai invoice shows only the charge for the current quarter.

Your quarterly charge for 2026/27 will be the same each quarter. It will not increase from one quarter to the next.

To calculate your full annual water services charge, multiply the quarterly amount shown on your invoice by four.