Water usage bills
If you have a water meter, your water usage bill is coming soon
On 1 July 2026, Tiaki Wai took over responsibility for the delivery and billing of water services from Lower Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt, and Wellington City councils.
Charging for water usage as measured by a water meter (that was previously billed by your council) is now managed by Tiaki Wai.
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. If you aren’t sure whether your property has a water meter, contact your local council.
Properties with a water meter will receive two Tiaki Wai bills:
- one water services bill covering the provision and management of water supply, wastewater and stormwater (which all properties will receive) that will arrive once every three months.
- one bill for metered water supply usage (based on your meter reading). These will arrive at a similar frequency to when they were billed by your council.
What do I need to know about my first water usage bill?
Your first water usage bill from Tiaki Wai is for water used since 1 July 2026, when Tiaki Wai became your water provider.
Your council will send you a bill for your water usage up to 30 June 2026 based on either an actual or estimated reading. You may have already received this bill, or it may still on its way. Contact your local council if you have any questions about this.
What does my water usage charge cover?
This year, water usage charges are being calculated in a similar way to how councils calculated them previously. This means that charging arrangements currently vary across cities.
To find out more about charges, go to the Charging and Pricing page
Visual breakdown of a Tiaki Wai water usage bill
Front page
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Details of the property owner and the property address that the invoice is for.
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The invoice date and the time period the invoice covers.
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Your water usage account number (WUAN). You'll need to reference this if you:
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pay your bill via online banking
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want to set up a new direct debit.
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- An overview of any overdue and current amounts, and the associated due date.
- A statement of previous water usage invoices, adjustments and payments.
- The total amount that you need to pay, and the date by which you need to pay it.
- A breakdown of the water usage charges from the meter or meters relating to this invoice.
- The total amount owing and the GST component of current charges.
- NZ Post stores will scan this barcode if you pay your bill over the counter.
Back page
A Information about metered water usage.
B The payment channels that are available, specific to your city and invoice type.
C Information about water charges and contacting Tiaki Wai.
D The physical and postal address for Tiaki Wai.
Download the sample bill
How do I pay my water usage bill?
Payment options are:
- direct debit – residential customers can give Tiaki Wai authority to deduct the full payment amount on the due date. In Lower Hutt city, direct debits are set up through the Payble platform.
- online banking – pay your Tiaki Wai bill directly from your bank account
- over the counter – pay at NZ Post stores that offer ‘pay a bill’ services.
Go to your property’s area for details on how to pay:
What do I need to make my payment?
Properties with an existing water meter that receive metered water bills have been allocated a Tiaki Wai water usage account number, which you can find on your bill. This will be different to the council metered water account number reference. You will need to enter your Tiaki Wai water usage account number for the reference field and your name in the particulars to make your bill payments.
Important: 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.
Go to your property’s area for details on how to pay: