Understanding Your Water Charges
From July 2026 your water bill will look different.
Rotorua Lakes Council operates 10 water supplies: 3 urban, 5 rural residential and 2 farming supplies.
How we charge for water
Council has two methods for charging for water use:
- Unmetered properties
- Metered properties.
These charges make sure we meet the costs of supplying water.
Unmetered properties
- Annual charge: Most properties pay a fixed amount each year, known as a uniform annual charge (UAC). This charge is included with their property rate charges, regardless of water use.
- Exceptions: Some properties with multiple dwellings, or outside urban areas (extra-territorial), might have different charges.
Metered properties
If your property is metered, you'll get a quarterly bill based on your water meter readings. Meters are read in August, November, February and May.
Properties that are metered:
- Rural properties
- Urban properties with extraordinary water connections. These include:
- Commercial or industrial properties
- Residential properties with more than two dwellings or large water fixtures, such as swimming pools bigger than 10m3.
Understanding your invoice
Council charges a set rate per cubic metre for all water used.
- Urban and rural residential water supplies for Mamaku, Rotoiti, Rotoma, Reporoa, Hamurana, and Okareka receive a minimum quarterly charge
- Kaharoa supply receives a fixed supply fee and a charge for water used
- Reporoa supply receives different fixed charges for domestic/non-farming and farming/dairy factory connections, as well as a charge for water used.
Water supply rates and charges
Council sets targeted rates for water supply for different properties. These rates depend on your property's location and whether it's connected, or could be connected, to the water supply. You can find more detailed information on the rating maps below.
Targeted rates for metered supplies are invoiced separately every quarter.
Targeted rates for 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026
Water supply excluding Kaharoa and Reporoa
Estimated amount to be collected:
- Metered water $7,215,245
- General water $10,035,542
Service areas shown on Maps A, B, C, D, E, and F - (PDF, 8.8MB).
| Differential targeted rate | Relative differentials (%) | Factor of liability | 2025/26 Rate $ (+GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| For rating units within the service areas that are receiving the service | 100 | Per SUIP | 481.15 |
| For rating units within the service areas to which water supply is available. | 50 | Per rating unit | 240.57 |
| A fixed amount on each connection to a rating unit (and metered). | 100 | Per connection | 481.15 |
| A targeted rate on each metered connection to a rating unit of a fixed amount per cubic metre supplied in excess of 56 cubic metres per quarter. | Per cubic metre | 2.1480 | |
Kaharoa
Amount to be collected: $493,192.
Service areas shown on Map G.
| Differential targeted rate | Factor of liability | 2025/26 Rate $ (+GST) |
|---|---|---|
| A targeted rate of a fixed amount per connection to a rating unit. | Per connection | 546.3779 |
| A targeted rate on each metered connection to a rating unit of a fixed amount per cubic metre supplied to the rating unit. | Per cubic metre | 0.7041 |
Reporoa
Amount to be collected: $1,200,745.
Service areas shown on Map H.
| Differential targeted rate | Relative differentials (%) | Factor of liability | 2025/26 Rate $ (+GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed charges | |||
| Domestic/Non-Farming rating unit connected. | 64 | Per connection | 320.2750 |
| Farming/Dairy-Factory rating unit connected. | 100 | Per connection | 500.4319 |
| A fixed amount on each metered connection to a Domestic/non-farming rating unit per cubic metre supplied in excess of the 82 cubic metres per quarter. | 100 | Per cubic metre | 0.9765 |
| A fixed amount on each metered water connection to a Farming/Dairy factory rating unit per cubic metre supplied in excess of the 207 cubic metres per quarter. | 64 | Per cubic metre | 0.6044 |
Explaining water rates terms
Differential targeted rate
Different types of properties (like homes, businesses, and farms) are charged different rates for water according to their uses and connections.
The relative differential % shows how much one rate is charged in comparison to another, like those for already connected and potentially connected units.
Factor of liability
How the rate is charged, such as per cubic metre, per rating unit, or per connection to the water supply.
Supply charge
This charge is calculated by dividing the fixed costs of operating the water supply by the number of consumers. Fixed costs don't change in relation to how much water is used.
Consumption charge
This charge relates only to the costs we incur supplying the water - aka the variable costs. These are mainly electricity and chlorine, plus a small allowance for equipment wear and tear.
Connected rating unit
A property that is currently connected to the council's water supply.
Serviceable rating unit
A property that could be connected to the water supply but isn't currently.
Domestic/non-farming rating unit
A property primarily used for homes or businesses, not farming. This term applies to properties within the Reporoa supply, excluding the Reporoa Dairy Factory.
Farming/dairy factory rating unit
A property primarily used for farming or dairy production, including the Reporoa Dairy Factory. These rating units have a daily water allocation restricted on a flow or time basis.
Leakage
Water that is lost from the water supply system, often due to leaks in pipes or fittings.
When leaks are found in metered supplies, Council's procedure is to reassess the amount of water supplied.
